Now or Never
by BabyBearxox
Summary: After arriving in Auradon, Harry sets out to find a way to make his princess remember who he is. Meanwhile, a curious Queenie tries to figure out why her closest friends are hell-bent on keeping her away from Uma's pirate crew. Harry/OC. Sequel to 'Sink or Swim'.
1. Chapter 1

**AN**

 **Hello readers! Just a few things before we begin this story...;**

 **First of all, big thank you for taking the time to read this. You should know that this is a sequel to my previous story, 'Sink or Swim'. So if you haven't read that yet, I would really recommend you do so that you're not confused. If you have read 'Sink or Swim', then welcome back!**

 **Warnings: Swearing (Again, I'll try to keep it down). Some violent scenes. If I think you need any warnings before a certain chapter I'll make sure to add an AN at the beginning. No other warnings for now.**

 **I do think I should add that this particular story is based of Halsey's song (And video) 'Now or Never'. I'm absolutely in love with the woman's music and I really felt that this song was perfect for this story.**

 **I only own my main OC - Queenie, and any other OC's that may appear during this story.**

 **So, please leave a review or PM to let me know what you think. Favourites are also appreciated!**

 **Aside from that, I really hope you enjoy the story. Thanks!**

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Queenie absent-mindedly wandered about the courtyard, hazel eyes searching for a familiar face. Lessons were over for the day, so she had absolutely nothing to do, and it seemed all of her friends were rather busy. She couldn't blame them, today was a big day.

Today was the day they would finally bring over the last batch of villain children from the Isle. A good few had decided to stay, and these were the last to accept, so it was a pretty big deal for Ben and Mal, and anyone on the welcoming committee. These weren't just any random children, however, these particular VK's were good friends of Uma's and, since she was rather important in Auradon for helping Ben change things over on the Isle, a lot of people were signing up to help the kids feel better about coming to the land of the good. Queenie herself knew how nerve-racking it was, what with her having come over a good few months ago.

Well, at least she thought she had been when she first arrived. She tried to place the exact moment she came across the water and into Auradon, but she found she couldn't quite remember it in vivid detail. Then again, she was rather forgetful. There were a lot of things she tried to think back on, only to realise it'd completely slipped her mind. Ben's coronation, for instance. She could remember it happening, but she couldn't remember being there. Even the Cotillion, where Uma had made an appearance for the first time, was completely lost on the young princess. She knew what happened, everyone did, but she was the only one who didn't know what she'd been doing when it happened. It never used to bother her, but it had been happening a little too often now, and she was starting to worry. It also didn't help that she'd gotten that bump to the head a month ago and ended up bed-ridden for three days straight. She assumed that was the cause, even if no one knew what had actually happened that night it. All she knew was that Jay had found her at the bottom of the stairs, passed out on the floor.

The daughter of the red queen wasn't as excited as everyone else. Where a few other princes and princesses, along with anyone else, had signed up to help with the day, she must have been the only one who hadn't. It wasn't that she was displeased about the idea, how could she be? As a former Isle dweller herself she was absolutely grateful that King Ben had brought people over to the other side of the pond to give them a chance at a happy life. The only thing that worried Queenie was how utterly delighted she was when Uma told her the news. She'd been told that the teal-haired girls crew were on there way, along with her friend Gil, and her first-mate, Harry. When Uma said those name's, Queenie felt something. She felt happy, giddy, nervous and too many other emotions all at once, and she didn't even know why. They weren't her friends, she had absolutely no idea who they were, yet her body was reacting as if it was about to be reunited with a best friend. It was very weird, and Queenie really didn't like it.

Queenie sighed, disheartened as she realised there wasn't anyone around, and slowly began the journey back to her dorm room.

"Queenie!"

The brown-haired girl smiled in visible relief and she turned back around. She waited for the small, red-headed girl to come closer before embracing her tightly. "Ava."

Ava, daughter of Ariel and Eric, was one of Queenie's very few friends. Sure, she enjoyed being around the other former villains, but she'd always loved hanging out with the little mermaid. She was always so bubbly and never one to lose whatever kept her happy, and sometimes Queenie was lucky enough to absorb some of that always-present confidence and joyfulness.

"Where have you been?!" Ava yelled, moving back to grip both of Queenie's hands in her own. "You know they're on their way, right? There's so much to do!"

"You worry too much." Queenie told the smaller teenager as she linked their arms, both heading towards King Adam's statue. "Isn't Jane in charge? I think you need to relax a little."

"And you don't worry enough." Ava retorted, rolling her eyes playfully. "Besides, I'm excited. Aren't you?"

Queenie's smile faltered, but she brought it back before the red-head had a chance to notice. "Of course I am." She replied, hoping she sounded as sincere as she was attempting to be. "I'm just a little nervous. Uma's a good friend and I want them to like me." It wasn't a lie. Uma really was amazing when Queenie wanted to talk or get something off her mind, and ever since their 'chat' a few days ago she'd been nothing but reliable. Queenie was worried about the kids arriving, but she really did want to make a good impression.

"Of course they'll like you, silly." Ava giggled. "You're pretty, kind and you always make people feel comfortable around you. How couldn't they like you?"

"Because they're Isle-kids, not Auradon-kids. They're not used to all of..." Queenie waved a hand, motioning towards the decorations. "This." She took a deep breath. "I don't know, I just think being nice will annoy them more than anything."

Ava nodded, knowing where the princess was coming from with her thoughts. "I guess. But they'll just have to get used to it. They knew what they were getting into when they agreed to come here, so they have no right to judge or be annoyed." She finished her sentence with a firm nod, and Queenie laughed.

"I guess you're right."

They travelled in silence for a moment, before another thought occupied Queenie's frantic mind. "What do you think they're like?"

"I don't know, I don't wanna assume what they're like before they get here, but I did talk to Thalia about it. I mean, c'mon, pirates! I've never met a pirate before, not unless you count Uma." Ava said, and Queenie nodded. Thalia was the daughter of Tinkerbell, and Queenie knew that the Neverland fairy had a lot of experience when it came to pirates. "I think they'll be scary." Ava added as an after-thought.

"Really? Why's that?"

Ava gave a small shrug. "I don't know. I just remember what Uma was like when she came here. She didn't have a sword or anything, but she did give off this scary 'I'm-going-to-kill-you-if-you-get-too-close' vibe. They might be the same, but who knows? We'll just have to wait and see."

Queenie tried to think like Ava, she really did. She wanted to believe that they could be nice people, but she wasn't too sure. She'd lived on the Isle and knew how terrifying people could be and, even though Queenie loved Ava dearly, the girl was a little naive to this sort of thing. She chose to see the best in everyone and one day she would be wrong.

"Look! The bridge is up." Ava exclaimed, shaking with excited nerves.

Queenie nodded but remained silent. She felt strangely entranced with the lights and movement, despite knowing full well she'd seen them before when she came to Auradon herself. It felt like she was seeing it for the first time again.

The bridge eventually disappeared and Queenie knew it meant they were in Auradon now. It wouldn't be too long before they pulled up onto the courtyard. She could see the band getting ready just a few yards away, while Ben stood near the main path hand in hand with Mal. Fair Godmother stood on his left with Evie, and Uma was next to Mal. They were getting ready to welcome the last VK's, and Queenie assumed they had Uma there because they were her old crew.

"I have to go." Queenie muttered, apparently unable to handle the feelings welling up inside of her.

"You okay?" Ava asked, tone clear with worry.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay I just-" Queenie paused as she saw the long, black limo pull up. "I really can't be here." She hastily moved her arm away from Ava's and stepped back, moving quickly towards the school.

~...~...~

Uma watched with a curious gaze as Queenie practically ran back into the school, leaving her friend in a very confused state. The sea-witch's daughter had a small feeling she knew what was going on. She'd told Queenie exactly who was arriving today in the hopes Harry's name would spark something in the princess. It hadn't, but Uma had definitely seen something in Queenie's body language. She remembered it like it was yesterday, the way Queenie sat just a little bit straighter, her eyes lighting up in a strange kind of delight. It had gone pretty quick, replaced with some bewilderment and sadness, like Queenie wasn't happy with how she'd reacted, but Uma had been. If that was how Queenie acted at just the mention of Harry's name, then seeing him would surely snap Queenie out of whatever trance she'd been put under. Well, that was the hope, anyway.

Uma turned back to see the limo, a small smirk coming to her face. She was hiding it well, she knew that, but she was so ecstatic at the thought of having her crew in Auradon. There were very few she really liked here, Ava seemed to be her favourite by far, something she considered idiotic considering how much her mom hated the red-heads parents, but maybe that was why she enjoyed her company so much. Even now she was trying to rebel against her dysfunctional mother, trying to get back at her by any means necessary, including petty things. Either way, she'd been waiting a whole month for this, and she couldn't wait.

The limo door eventually flew open and Uma was rather surprised to see Gil step out first. She'd assumed Harry would be the first, since he loved making an entrance, but even so she was content. She never thought she'd miss the idiot so much, but she had more than anything.

"Uma! Hey!" Gil loudly exclaimed, waving enthusiastically with a large smile. Uma rolled her eyes and nodded, her lips tilting upwards. Oh yeah, she'd missed him.

The others came out after that. Jonas, Desiree, Bonnie, and Harry...eventually. When the others came out they were a little anxious, all fidgeting and moving as they took in the sights around them. Auradon was way too much, Uma knew that, and even though she'd begged Ben to leave the trumpets and decorations out of the equation, F.G. had swayed him in the other direction somehow. It irritated her a little. They were _her_ crew and she their Captain, she'd watched each and every one of them during training and knew them well, well enough to know they wouldn't give two fucks about decorations or band greetings. Yet the Fairy headmistress had gotten her way...again.

As soon as Harry came out the air changed. Uma could feel the waves of anxiety and slight anger coming off of Mal, and she revelled in it. Her best friend didn't look at anything with much focus, a quick glance and he was done, like he didn't care what was going on around him. Instead he looked directly at Uma, and she really had to hold back this time. Her first mate was with her again and she couldn't be happier.

"Captain." He greeted simply.

"Hey Harry." Uma beamed. She knew they'd properly say 'hello' later on, when she and her crew were away from prying eyes.

"Welcome to Auradon, we're so glad you decided to join us." Ben said loudly, apparently unaware of how the others, minus Uma, stared at Harry.

"Well, we couldn't jus' leave our Captain all alone now, could we?" Harry chuckled, tilting his head at the young King.

"I'm Fairy Godmother, headmistress of this school. I speak on behalf of everyone and we are simple delighted to have you here." The Fairy declared, a little over dramatically in Uma's opinion. The teal-haired girl didn't miss the way the woman's eyes travelled over Harry's hook, like she was thinking hard about something or other, and it made Uma a little antsy. Then again, weapons weren't allowed here in Auradon, not on any of the students anyway, so for now she'd assume that was the problem.

"Oh, I'm sure ye are." Harry sarcastically replied, looking down at the short woman. "Ye're a pretty one for someone so aged, ye got a kid runnin' 'round here?"

It was the first time Uma saw the Fairy get so flustered, but it wasn't with the usual blush or stutter women always got when flirted with by Harry. This one seemed to be more of an angry shuffle than anything else. "You will not speak to me with that tone. I'll also be confiscating that." She nodded towards Harry's hook.

"Actually, it stays with me." Harry stated firmly, his calm demeanour long gone. He was very attached to his hook, and no one would take it from him.

"Weapons aren't permitted here on school grounds, especially _that_ weapon." The Fairy said slowly, as if she were speaking to a child.

"I really don't give a shite."

Uma sensed the situation turning sour and she immediately stepped in. "Couldn't he keep it, for like, a day or two? Just until he gets settled. It's sort of a security blanket. It kept him safe on the Isle, you understand, right?" She was playing the 'abused-child-of-the-Isle' card, knowing it would work.

"Of course." It was Ben who spoke this time. "He can keep it, but just for a little while." He reassured, seemingly not too worried about Harry walking around with a sharp object.

Fairy Godmother stuttered for a moment before finally giving a small nod. She wouldn't win this fight. "He can keep it, but one wrong move and it's in the museum." She warned, and Uma nodded in understanding.

"Of course, I promise he won't hurt anyone. Right Harry?" She looked back at her first mate, who glanced around as if he were debating the idea. "Harry." She said, firmer this time.

"All right, no I won' use it. Happy now?" He smiled with mock-enthusiasm.

"Anyway, Mal will show the girls to their rooms. Uma, I trust you'll show Harry and Gil where they'll be staying?" Ben asked, and Uma nodded her head. "Great. Your schedules will be delivered later by Doug, if you have any questions or worries then don't be scared to ask."

"Right this way." Mal said to the female pirates, turning quickly so that they had to follow fast to keep up. Ben wandered the same way with Evie close to his side, the two whispering about something or other, and Fairy Godmother left to go somewhere else.

Usually, Ben would have shown the guys to their rooms, since he had with everyone else, but Uma had changed that the night before. After everything that had happened with them back on the Isle, Ben knew full well that she was the best person to help the pirates settle in properly. He trusted her, for some reason, and she wasn't going to change that just quite yet. After all, he'd vouched for her when no one else did, and for that she'd play the role she'd been thrown into from the day she got here. It'd also be beneficial to Harry with Queenie, when he finally knew what had happened to her.

"Where is she?" Harry asked as they walked towards the school.

"She's here, Harry. You don't need to know where, you'll see her soon." Uma assured the pirate as quietly as she could. No one else knew that Harry knew Queenie on a rather personal level, and she wanted to keep it that way.

"It's been weeks, Uma. I want ta see her now." He demanded.

Uma speed-walked through the halls and past the crowds of people. Her boys would see her and follow with no problems, but she had to get Harry somewhere where they could talk properly, without being overheard. He was angry and he had every right to be, and she knew how bad it would get when she told him what had happened to Queenie. And for that kind of thing, she needed a large, empty room.

~...~...~

Queenie hummed a small tune to herself, laying tummy-down on her bed as she flicked through the book's pages. She'd found it once in the Library while searching for a book on Wonderland and simply couldn't help herself. It was thick and full of all the history of the families in Auradon. Mulan, Aladdin and Jasmine, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, even Alice; It was all in this book. She felt that reading up on the history would give her a better view on Auradon, and she hoped she could understand King Adam's reasoning from bringing all the villains back from the dead and dropping them on the Isle.

A rhythmic knock came from her bedroom door and she looked back over her shoulder. "Come in!" She called loudly.

"Hey Q'." Jay greeted, dropping his tourney bag to the floor. His hair was tied back into a bun and he wore his uniform still, so she assumed he'd come straight over from practice.

"Hey, how was training?" She asked, turning back to her book.

"Good. How are you?" Jay asked her, flopping down next to her on the bed.

"I'm _fine._ " She stressed with a small smile. She didn't know why he worried about her so much since he really had no reason to. Maybe it was because she'd known him the longest out of them all. After all, he had taken her in when her mom kicked her out, and a part of her liked that he cared. Even if it did get a bit irritating sometimes. "You know the new kids are here, right?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah I know." He replied, a frown on his face. "You seen them yet?"

"Nah," Queenie shrugged, dog-earring the corner of the page and closing the book. It was a bad habit of hers, since she didn't own the thing, but she didn't have any book-marks just yet. "You know any of them?" She asked curiously.

"Sort of." Jay told her, folding his arms behind his head. "We had a few problems with 'em back on the Isle. Nothing big though."

Queenie tilted her head. "I don't remember that?" She said with some confusion, and he sighed.

"You wouldn't. Like I said, it wasn't a big thing." He sounded a little defensive about the whole thing, so Queenie decided to leave it. For now anyway. "Can you do me a favour, Q'?"

"Of course." She agreed without hesitation.

"I know I have no right to ask but, I want you to stay away from Harry." His request baffled the young princess, and she sat up straight. "It's just I heard some things about him, back on the Isle. He's not a good person Q', he's not like you, he's bad."

"You were bad once too, remember?" Queenie re-capped, and Jay nodded.

"Yeah I know, but I didn't do it for fun. I did it because my dad asked me to. This guy hurts people for fun, Q', and I don't want you around someone like that. Can you do that for me? Please?"

Queenie paused in thought. It was amusing to her, how much Jay cared about her, and she would have agreed to it straight away. However, there was a small, angry voice in the back of her mind yelling at him that he had no right to tell her who to stay away from. She ignored that little voice, like always, and settled on a small nod. Jay was her friend and she trusted him, so if he said that Harry was bad, then she'd stay away.

"Thanks Q', you're the best." Jay muttered, lightly ruffling her hair. She smacked his hand away with a giggle, attempting to pat down any frazzled strands. "I'm gonna go grab some food, I'm starving. You coming?" He asked, moving off of the bed to grab his things.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry. You go ahead, I'll see you in the morning for breakfast." Queenie told him, and he nodded, giving her a small wave before leaving the room.

When he was gone she turned back to her book, flicking through the pages for another chapter she'd marked a month ago. She'd read this particular story many times, yet she always seemed to go back to it. It intrigued her more than ever and now, with pirates in Auradon, she thought it rather fitting to read it again.

'Peter Pan and Captain Hook'.

~...~...~

Uma leaned back against the headboard, playing a small game of 'four in a row' with Gil. He hadn't completely understood the game at first, since they didn't have any games back on the Isle, but he did now. Even if she was winning every round, it kept him occupied, and it gave them something to do while Harry ransacked and destroyed his new bedroom.

Like she'd assumed, Harry hadn't taken the news well...to put it lightly. She'd done as best as she could, even made him sit down before she explained everything, and made sure to tell Gil to move anything breakable away from Harry before she spoke. Harry hadn't just been angry though, oh no, he'd been fucking outraged. The minute the sentence 'she-doesn't-remember-you' left her lips, he'd flown off the handle, and it didn't seem to matter that Gil had done as she asked and moved a few things out of the way. Harry had got to them eventually, kicking, hooking and smashing anything he could get his hands on. Uma could actually sympathise a little. She would be the same if someone took Harry away and erased any memory of her from his mind, but at least she had a control on her anger. Harry didn't, and she didn't know if someone had sound-proofed the rooms or what, but she was glad no one had swung by to see what the noise was. If they had, they'd probably be thrown in with the broken chairs and smashes vases.

"You done yet?" She asked with a bored voice, placing another counter through the hole to make four. She looked away from the game and froze. "Damn it."

Harry was done, but she was far from relieved. He now sat up against the door, hook on the floor with his legs laid out in front of him. His hat was in the room somewhere and so was his coat, probably buried underneath some object he'd destroyed. What got her the most though, was his face. His eye-liner was smudged around his eyes, wet trails down his cheeks and neck, and he looked to be in utter pain. She knew he hadn't hurt himself, if he had he wouldn't feel it now, what with the adrenaline still running through his body. This was a different kind of pain, one that couldn't be healed through medicine or magic. What Harry was feeling was emotional, and even though she wanted to remove it, she couldn't. Of course she knew what he was feeling, everyone on Auradon ranted and raved about it like it was the best feeling in the world, not knowing what would happen if it went south. Harry was simply heartbroken at the thought of the princess not remembering him, and Uma found herself a little dumb-founded at the sight. She knew he had a heart in there somewhere, she'd seen it whenever he stayed with her after a hard day on the Isle, or when he did something nice for her just because she was tired or upset about something. What she hadn't know was how much space Queenie occupied in there, but she knew now, and that mattered the most.

"Harry? C'mon man, you need to get yourself together." Uma rushed over and crouched down, attempting to look him in the eye. "You can't help her like this."

"She doesn't remember me." Harry wasn't looking at her, he was looking at everything but her. "How could she not remember me? Me! I'm gonna kill 'er for comin' here. She shouldn't 'ave come here!" He shouted.

"Harry!" Uma yelled, grabbing his cheeks to make him face her. "It's not her fault, okay? She didn't know." She wasn't defending the little princess, not completely. Harry was right, Queenie had made a stupid decision in coming to Auradon for help, but she'd thought it was the right thing to do. And, after hearing about everything that had happened while she was gone from Gil, she couldn't completely blame Queenie for doing it. "She came here for help and they turned on her, Harry. It isn't Queenie's fault." Uma knew she was getting through to him, she could see the change in his eyes. "We'll get her back, I swear. Have I ever let you down before?" He shook his head. "No, I haven't, and I'm not going to start now."

"Why would they do that to 'er? She was so perfect. My perfect little princess." Harry was muttering now, the lids of his eyes opening and closing as his head lulled about. He was tired. It'd been a long day for all of them.

"I don't know." Uma admitted. "We're going to find out, and we're going to get her back. When we do, we'll take them all down for what they did to you." Harry smiled at the violent scenarios in his head and Uma finally saw him coming back, piece by piece. "You didn't give me a chance to tell you before."

"Tell me what?" Harry asked curiously, fighting the sleep threatening to overtake. He hadn't even slept the night before, too excited at the thought of seeing his princess again, but now he knew that'd been a waste of time.

"Whatever they did, they didn't take all of her away. I've been keeping an eye on her for you, Harry. There's something there, something inside of her that won't let you go. Every day since I found out she was here, I've seen her by the pier, watching the Isle. I mentioned your name a few days ago and I swear, just for a second, she was happy, excited even. Queenie's still in there and I need you to remember that, okay? We just have to bring her out somehow." She told him, slightly relieved at the smile he gave her.

"I should'a known. I'm not that easy to get rid of, girl's got me hook after all." He chuckled, and Uma glared.

"Yeah, I know all about that. But we'll talk about that tomorrow, you need to sleep." She stated, looking back at Gil who was still playing the game. "A little help over here?"

Gil jumped up off the bed, the game now long forgotten, and helped Uma get Harry to his feet. They dragged him over to the clean bed, Uma making sure to grab his hook as they moved. He'd be looking for it soon enough.

"Sleep. We'll talk in the morning." Uma told her first mate, chucking a few blankets over his body to keep him warm. "Night Harry."

"Night Captain." He muttered, eyes closing almost instantly.

Uma moved towards the door, stepping over any glass or wood on the floor. "He moves, you come get me. I don't trust him not to go looking for her." She said to Gil, who attempted to clear away the stuff on his bed.

"You think he'll be okay?" Gil asked, concerned for the well-being of his friend.

"I'm not worried about Harry." Uma replied with a whisper, holding the door open with one hand. "It's the rest of Auradon that should be scared. You don't just take a pirate's girl and get away with it." And with those final words, she left the room, closing the door silently behind her.

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 **AN**

 **Hi guys! Just me again. I really hope you liked the chapter. I know nothing interesting happened here but I wanted there to be an introduction without any intense-ish scenes coming in just yet, as a lot of the big stuff will come in following chapters. I know a few of you will be disappointed that Queenie and Harry didn't see each other here but don't worry, all of that will be in the next chapter.**

 **Anyway, remember to review, favourite or follow if you can. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

"So, how was your lesson?" Ava greeted Queenie, immediately linking arms with the princess.

Queenie smiled and shrugged. "It was okay, same as always." She'd just finished her fourty-five minute lesson of 'Magical History', and after the long morning she'd had, she was more than eager to get to the cafeteria.

After the rather confusing talk with Jay the night before, Queenie had fallen asleep after an hour or so of reading her book. She'd read the 'Peter Pan and Captain Hook' story three times before her eyes closed, and even though she'd gone through to other stories, that one had captured her attention the most. She still had absolutely no idea why, and she just put it down to the fact there were pirates in Auradon now, so maybe she was a little curious about them. What had caught her attention, however, was the fact it was the first day since she'd arrived where she hadn't found herself down at the pier. Even in the middle of the night when her mind just wouldn't relax and she was tossing and turning in her bed, she'd sometimes wander down there. Sneaking out after hours was forbidden, she knew that, but she simply couldn't help herself. The day before she'd been worried, her mind on overload along with her conflicting emotions, so it seemed she'd really hit the hay that night. This morning she'd woken up bright and early, a few minutes before her alarm went off, and got dressed as soon as she could. She was excited for something or other, not even she knew what. Maybe it was just a good day, after all she'd slept through the night without interruption, so her body and mind must have been delighted with the fact. That's what she assumed, anyway.

"Oh yeah? Have you met any pirates yet?" Ava grinned.

"No, not yet. Only Uma." Queenie replied.

The sea-witch's daughter had been signed up for the lesson because of her magical capabilities, or that of her shell necklace anyway, which is how Queenie herself met Uma. The young princess had been a little worried, and utterly baffled, as to why she'd been signed up for the class. It was only once Fairy Godmother explained that her mom had dabbled with some dark magic when she'd been in Wonderland did Queenie understand it all. Her mom had done some bad things, and they wanted to make sure she wasn't doing the same thing. She wasn't, of course, but they didn't know that. Queenie had never attempted to use magic once, and it wasn't about to start now.

"I met them this morning." Ava declared smugly, and Queenie perked up.

"What are they like?" The princess asked, hoping she didn't sound as intrigued as she really felt. She'd never met a full-fledged pirate before, and she knew once she saw them her interests would fade, but for now she'd just have to put up with her never-ending curiosities.

"Well there's Jonas, Bonnie and Desiree. They don't talk much, they just walk along with Uma and the other two. They give some pretty scary looks though. Then there's Gil and, oh my god, he's such a cutie-pie. He's so sweet, but he does speak his mind without thinking sometimes." Ava spoke quickly, and Queenie held back a laugh. It seemed Ava and Gil had something in common. "And then there's Harry. Uma's first mate."

Queenie frowned. She swore that, just for a second, her heart jumped at the name. "What's he like?" She whispered, glancing around as if her best friend might overhear. She hadn't forgotten what Jay asked her to do, and she was determined to stick to it, but asking about the pirate wouldn't hurt. Would it?

"Harry is..." Ava trailed off into thought, eyes rolling around her head as she thought of a way to explain. "Different." That was the word she settled on, and by the nod she gave afterwards she seemed satisfied with it.

"How so?" Queenie muttered, whispering a half-hearted apology as she bumped shoulders with someone heading in a different direction.

"You know those peanut-butter cups you love so much?" Ava said, and Queenie nodded with slight amusement. "Kind'a like that I guess. On the outside they look amazing, right? Covered in chocolate with those little crinkles that look so yummy? But then you bite into it and there's that nut in the middle, and things get a little weird. That's Harry."

"So if I'm hearing this right, what you're telling me is that Harry's sweet-looking on the outside, but salty on the inside?" Queenie giggled, and Ava nodded in confirmation.

"Exactly. Once you see him you'll understand...well, once you speak to him I guess. He's _very_ interested in meeting you, though."

Queenie froze and her feet stopped moving. She didn't miss the implication in Ava's words. The little mermaid was a romantic, and the thought of being able to set Queenie up with someone...again, wasn't lost on her. "H-he what?" Queenie stuttered.

"Calm down, Q'. Uma told him about you, he said and I quote 'I wanna meet the little princess who's been keepin' my Captain occupied'." Ava smiled, dragging Queenie back in the direction they'd been heading.

"What accent is that?" Queenie laughed loudly at Ava's attempts to sound like the first-mate.

"Yeah, laugh now. When you meet him you'll know I nailed that impression." The red-head exclaimed defensively, only amusing the princess further.

"I, uh," Queenie strained as she attempted to explain to Ava that she wasn't supposed to even go near Harry, let alone talk to him. "I can't." She finally admitted with a small grimace. Ava's mouth dropped, but before she could get a word out Queenie decided to explain in more detail. "Jay said he knew him on the Isle, that he was a bad guy or something. I promised I wouldn't go near him."

"That's insane!" Ava yelled, and Queenie gave an apologetic shrug to those who'd jumped at the little one's voice. "Look, the way I see it, we're supposed to give these guys a second chance. Uma's gonna be hurt if you don't try, do it for her at least? If you don't like the guy then at least you tried, right?"

Queenie nodded, keeping silent as they walked the rest of the way. She could understand where her friend was coming from. Ava was right. If Queenie avoided Harry, Uma would notice, especially if the princess was talking to other members of the crew. Jay had put her in a bit of a predicament with his request, and she hadn't realised that until now. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could talk to Harry without Jay knowing and, if he asked about it, she'd just tell him that Uma and Ava pressured her into it. He couldn't blame her then, if she was doing it as a favour to a friend. Besides, if she didn't like Harry then she wouldn't have to talk to him ever again. A few greetings here and there was the most it would ever come to. So, with that in mind, Queenie settled on meeting the first-mate just this once, and just for her friends. Uma had done so much for her lately and she didn't want to throw it all back in the girls face.

"Okay, I'll do it."

~...~...~

Uma sat in the cafeteria, digging her fork into today's lunch with a little vigour. Her crew surrounded her, Desiree, Bonnie and Jonas a little further down the table, shoving whatever they'd grabbed into their mouths. Gil was still in the lunch line, ordering up a mountain of food, and Harry was next to her. He hadn't gotten anything to eat, instead the taller boy stared down at the blue table in front of him, his hook scratching different patterns into the painted wood.

Thankfully, her first mate had been in a much better mood when he'd woken up that morning. The seemingly-content grin was back on his face, so Uma knew to keep an eye on him, and he had that small skip back in his step. She knew he wasn't happy with how things were going in Auradon, but she also knew he wouldn't try anything just yet. She'd taken the time to explain to him that while he was still new, he was under her wing, so to speak. If he fucked up, then it reflected badly on his Captain, and Harry was as loyal as they come even now, after they'd been parted for so long. Sure, he was a crew member and answered to her, but he'd been her best friend first, and Uma was relying on that side of him to keep in place. She could only hope that it wouldn't go downhill when Queenie showed up.

"This place is awesome!" Gil exclaimed, and Uma jumped.

"What the hell is that?" She demanded, eyes widening at the sight of Gil's plate. It looked like a mixture of everything they'd put out, mounted on top of each other to create a rather impressive food-tower.

"Food." The boy shrugged, sitting down with a fork in hand. "Dad told me to keep my strength up while I was here." He explained, happily digging in to the stack of food.

"We have to get Queenie back, okay? We can't do that if you get diarrhoea within the first week." Uma stated, teeth clenched as she looked around.

"Speakin' of which," Harry spoke up from beside her. "When will my little princess be gettin' here?"

"Soon. Ava said she'd bring her here, so she'll be here." Uma told him, her lunch now pushed aside. She suddenly wasn't so hungry any more.

"Hmm, an' what if she's wrong, eh?" Harry asked, leaning forward with a dark look in his eyes. "I _need_ ta see her, Uma."

Uma sighed, slightly vexed with Harry's overwhelming possessiveness when it came to Queenie. "Ava wouldn't lie to me, okay? Just trust me, Harry. She will be here."

"Oh, I get it." Harry suddenly smiled mischievously. "Ye like the little one, don' ye?"

"I'm not talking about this with you." Uma muttered, and his smile grew.

"Oh-ho, I knew it!" Usually she wouldn't mind Harry's sudden change in attitude, but not when it was at her expense. "So what was it, huh? That long, lovely red hair. Those little, innocent eyes? She's a pretty little thing, isn't she?"

Uma smacked her hand down on the table and stared Harry dead in the eyes. He was being way too loud. "Listen, I'm gonna help you get your princess back, okay? But you need to understand that things work a little differently around here. You wanna talk about Ava? Fine. Makes no difference to me. But not with anyone else around, you got that?" She said angrily, and he nodded. He knew when to back off, thankfully, and this seemed to be one of those times.

"How are we gonna get 'er back, exactly?" Harry asked, deciding to steer the topic away from Uma's apparent crush. For now.

"I don't know." The teal-haired girl admitted with a small shrug. "I was hoping seeing you would do something. If not, we'll figure something out. Now, what did we go over?"

Harry rolled his eyes and leaned back, chewing the inside of his cheek in minor aggravation. "I know the plan, okay? I'm not an idiot." He snapped.

"Just humour me." Uma pressed, and he sighed.

"When she gets here, I won' lose my shite. I'll be nice. What's the point if she don't remember?" Harry asked, and Uma narrowed her gaze.

"If she doesn't remember you right away, then you have to actually put some effort into it. You can't scare her off on the first day, Harry, she has to want to be around you. I have no doubt Jay's already told her to stay away." Uma explained lightly.

"I'll fuckin' hook the bastard for makin' me come here."

"No, you won't. We're in Auradon now, we have to play by their rules. On the outside, we act like them, it's not too hard. I've been doing it for weeks. Only when we're together can we say what we want, okay? This is a place full of people, Harry. One wrong move and you're shipped off back to the Isle, then what happens to Queenie?" Uma smiled, her eyes taking note of the way Harry gripped his hook. She was being a little mean, but she had to be. If he didn't take this seriously, then things wouldn't go past the first week. "You get thrown back and Jay gets Queenie. He wins if you fuck up. Just remember that." She took a breath, moving away to look at the entrance. "They're here. Act normal."

~...~...~

Queenie finally made it to the cafeteria with Ava, even though there had been one minor setback. During their travels a guilty conscience had kicked in. She'd promised Jay that she wouldn't talk to this 'Harry' and now here she was, about to do exactly that. It didn't feel right, and yet she couldn't help but do it. Ever since Ava had told her how Harry really wanted to meet her, she now felt somewhat drawn to the damned cafeteria, like she had to be there. It was the same feeling she'd had every time she found herself down near the pier and it was starting to really scare her. After this was done she'd go back to her room and lock the door. All she wanted now was to go to bed, curl up under the blankets and finish off her book. Her homework could wait a day or two, because she really needed some time to herself.

Queenie made to go towards the queue, only to find herself being dragged in another direction by Ava, who had a tight grip on the princesses hand. "I thought we were going to get food first?" She wondered, both amused and frightened. She'd hoped to drag it out for at least a few more minutes.

"Meet and greet first, then food. I know you're worried, Queenie." Ava spoke, her tone filled with understanding. "Get this over with, first. Once it's done you can calm down, okay?"

"Okay." Queenie smiled, grateful that her friend hadn't missed a beat. Ava was sometimes too much for some people, with her overly-cheerful nature and innocent mind. Looking out for others was also a part of her, one Queenie hadn't realised she needed until that moment.

"Uma!" Ava called, moving herself and Queenie between the chairs and tables to get to the other girl. "I told you I'd bring her." She grinned smugly, giving the teal-haired VK a firm hug.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Uma chuckled, returning the act with much less enthusiasm. "Hey Q'." She nodded at the princess, and Queenie did the same. "You ready to meet my crew?"

"It wasn't like I had much of a choice." Queenie joked, her eyes flickering towards Ava, who'd settled down next to Uma.

"So, you've got Bonnie, Desiree and Jonas." Uma pointed out each member, though they didn't even look up to say 'Hi', all much too engrossed in their new food selection. "And Gil here."

The teen currently shoving food down his throat took a moment to look up, a string of bacon hanging from his mouth as he stared wide-eyed at the princess. "Queenie!" He managed through mouthfuls of something or other. "It's good to see you!"

Queenie tilted her head. He was speaking to her like he'd seen her before, like they'd met before he came here. "Hi." She said back, not forgetting her manners. She assumed he was just like Ava, friendly on the first meeting.

"Eat your food, kid." Uma said to him, and he nodded. "Don't mind him, he's a little." Uma tapped her forehead and Queenie nodded. "And this is my first-mate. Harry, say 'hi' to the princess."

Queenie noticed something in Uma's voice. A warning? She wasn't sure why. Unless this pirate was as bad as Jay said, in which case Queenie felt worse about her slight betrayal. The young princess could only see the back of him for now. He was tall, she could tell. His head slightly hidden behind a large, tricorn hat. His coat was the same shade as her dress, a bright red, though his had been dirtied and worn, the sleeves ripped away so that his muscled arms were showing. Even from behind, he was an intimidating person.

A slight 'bang' rang out and Queenie flinched, only to calm herself down a few seconds after. Harry had only placed his palms on the table in front of him, albeit a little too roughly, in an effort to get to his feet. He did so with slow and smooth movements, bringing his legs up and around until he faced her. She didn't look directly at his face, finding herself unable to for some reason. Only when he stood to his full height did she see him, and all too quickly she felt that coming had been a huge mistake.

Queenie had to take in a large breath, her right hand holding her chest. She felt like someone had shoved her from the front, pushing her with a force she hadn't ever been subjected to. She was suddenly so, so grateful that she hadn't been holding anything, or had eaten anything before this. She could feel the bile in her throat along with an ache in her stomach, and she swore she was going to throw up then and there. Queenie felt numb, and a quick twitch of her finger was the only thing that let her realise this was real, that this was happening. There wasn't a single part of her that wasn't on overdrive, in fact her emotions were all over the place, but there was one in particular that hit her the hardest. A complete and utterly overwhelming sensation of happiness. She could feel her heart beating, and she wondered if she would have a heart attack. It was so fast.

"Hello there princess." Harry finally spoke, but only with a whisper. Like she was the only one who was supposed to hear it.

Queenie couldn't say anything back. Her mouth was dry and she couldn't even feel her tongue. All she could do was stare, at his eyes, his face, cheeks; Anything. Whatever he was showing her, she was looking at, and she couldn't bring herself to tear her gaze away.

"Queenie, you okay?"

The princess could hear Ava talking to her, but it was muffled, as if they were talking through the phone with some bad signal. "H-hi." She managed to say to the pirate in front of her.

Harry smiled and got a little closer. Queenie didn't move, she wasn't sure if she would fall if she tried, so she just stayed where she was. He didn't touch her, thankfully. Instead, Harry looked deep into her eyes, and the bright shade of blue had her completely entranced. They flickered oh so slightly, like he was searching for something in her. Whatever it was, he was concentrating so hard on it.

"Q', you're crying." It was Ava again, much closer and louder than she had been before.

Queenie eventually found the will-power to look away and, when she did, she raised a shaky hand to her cheeks. Ava was right. She was crying, and it wasn't stopping either. The tears came quick and fast, trailing down Queenie's cheeks and neck, only being stopped by her dress. "I-I'm sorry." She spoke, but not to Ava. She said it to _Harry._ "I don't know why-"

"It's all right, darlin'." He reassured gently. He lifted his hook slowly, as if anything faster would scare her, and ran it up her skin, catching one of the stray tear-drops. "I forgive ye."

When he said that to her, Queenie felt worse. Her slight sniffles turned into full-blown sobs of either sadness or relief, she wasn't quite sure which as she was feeling both. The cold steel against her burning skin felt wonderful, and it calmed her in a way nothing ever had before. He must have been a cocky one, to have to say that he forgave her for her crying, but that wasn't what got to her. It was the way he said it, as if it held more meaning than a few unneeded tears.

"Queenie!" Jay's loud, anger-filled voice brought her out of whatever spell she'd been in.

"Jay," Queenie muttered, clearing the damp from her cheeks with both hands as she turned to him. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, it's okay." The former thief told her, pulling her into his arms with her face hidden in his chest. He glared hard at Harry. "Leave her alone."

Harry's eyes ran down the back of Queenie, taking note of everything in front of him before he finally came to Jay. "Ye're not my keeper." He chuckled.

"C'mon Q'." Jay soothed, keeping an arm around Queenie's shoulders as he led her out of the cafeteria.

"I'm gonna go." Ava told the pirates, brows furrowed with worry.

Uma nodded and the little mermaid left, chasing after her friends. "Well, that went well."

~...~...~

When Jay managed to get Queenie back to her room, she was a stuttering mess. Her eye-liner was smudged, hair slightly tousled and her legs felt like jelly. A part of her was glad to be away, happy to be separated from the first-mate and whatever he'd done to her. However, there was another part of her that'd been moderately silent up until now. It yelled and screamed at her to go back, to see Harry. She was fighting with herself and she hated it. Queenie wanted to lay down and sleep in an attempt to calm the sudden headache, but she also wanted to run down to the cafeteria again.

"What were you thinking, Queenie?" Jay asked, shaking his head in obvious disappointment. He sat her down at the edge of the bed, removing her shoes and moving behind her to take down her bun. "You promised."

"I-I know. I'm so sorry, Jay." She muttered, her voice hoarse from the crying. "I should have listened to you."

"What did he say?" Jay asked, taking out the multiple pins. As someone with long hair, he was no stranger to taking it out at the end of a long day.

"Nothing." Queenie laughed, embarrassed and slightly humiliated with her reaction. "He said 'hi' and I cried like a baby. I'm such a mess."

"Hey, look at me." He demanded, and Queenie did as asked, looking back at him over her shoulder. "You're not a mess. You're my friend. You were just overwhelmed that's all, Harry's a scary guy, I'd be surprised if you didn't cry."

Queenie giggled at that. He never failed to cheer her up. "It wasn't that. I was okay, but then he looked at me and I swear..." Queenie paused to take a breath. "I swear I recognized him, Jay. Is that insane? I was scared, and happy. Am I going crazy?"

Jay gave a small sigh and shook his head. He carefully manoeuvred Queenie back on the bed, pulling back the blankets and neatly-placed pillows for her to lie down. "You're not going crazy, I promise. Just get some sleep, okay? Call me when you wake up."

Queenie nodded meekly and shuffled about, wrapping herself in a cocoon of sorts. "Okay. I'll see you later."

Once satisfied that she was asleep, Jay left Queenie's room. He kicked himself, knowing that he should have had someone stay close to avoid this happening, but it was too late for that now. Queenie had seen Harry, had talked to him. She may not have remembered, but something was happening, and he couldn't just let it slide.

He had to find Fairy Godmother.

~...~...~

Harry laughed and rolled his eyes, tipping his bottle back to gulp down some more wine. He and the crew, Uma included, were having a reunion-night of sorts. The sea-witch's daughter had somehow gotten alcohol from the kitchens, enough to keep them happy for tonight, and it seemed everyone was in high-spirits. Well, everyone aside from him.

Today had gone well, but not as well as it could have been. Queenie didn't remember him, not fully anyway, and it had hurt him to see her like that. When she cried it made him angry, and for the first time he couldn't just hook whoever had hurt her. Things were so complicated in Auradon. They had their magic, which he'd been told had made Queenie the way she was, and he didn't know how to go around that. Magic wasn't something known to him and Uma was just starting to understand her own, they couldn't dig into Queenie too hard or else she might break. They had to be careful with this, and he wasn't known to be careful. He was reckless, often doing things because of anger or sadness and completely uncaring of who got in the firing line, as long as he felt better afterwards. It annoyed him to know that he really did need help with this, with Queenie, and not just from Uma. He would have to stay longer than he'd planned to, and that meant trying to fit in with everyone in Bore-Adon. It meant being nice to those he couldn't stand and keeping his temper in check. He knew it would be hard, but if it got him his princess, he'd do it.

"You okay there?" Uma asked warily, and he nodded. She took a seat next to him, letting the others drink themselves into sleep. They'd wake up with a terrible hang-over in the morning, but she didn't care about them right now. At the moment, she had to prioritise her first-mate.

"She don't remember me." Harry pointed out, his head leaning back against the window.

"No, she doesn't. I'm proud of you, you handled it well. Better than any of us would have." Uma told him, and he smiled. Her praise would always heighten him, but a strange feeling of utter dejection had taken a firm grasp on his chest, and it wouldn't let up. "You saw her face, Harry. She's in there somewhere, we just have to be the ones to pull her out."

Uma was right. Beneath the perfect dress and well-made hair, was _his_ princess. He'd almost passed out at seeing her, she was so different here, and yet she was still the same. He'd looked hard for some recognition in those lovely brown eyes, and had been so miserable when he saw none. The only reason he held it back so well was because of her body's reaction. The dilated eyes, the shaking hands, her tears. A part of her knew exactly who he was, and it was that part of her that kept him in place.

"Jay knows you've seen her now, he knows what's happening and soon she's gonna remember you. They're all gonna come down hard on our asses. Are you willing to do that? Can you handle this, Harry?" Uma was being pushy, but she had to know. She didn't want to stick herself and her crew on the line, only for Harry to decide a little further down the time-scale that he couldn't do it. He had to be sure.

"I can do it." He said confidently. He'd been a little unsure when Uma first told him what Queenie was going through, but now he was determined. "I took 'er in, I made 'er stronger an' I made her..." Harry paused, looking to make sure his Captain wouldn't judge him in any way. "I made her kill, Uma. She went with everythin', took everythin' I gave 'er an' more. She broke her deal, but still stuck aroun'. Queenie's _my_ princess. No one else's. I'm gonna get 'er back, an' I don' care what I have to do to do that."

"Well then," Uma smiled widely, lifting her own bottle to meet his with a 'clink'. "Let's get started."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Hello! Just me! Big thank you to those who've reviewed, followed and favourited. I'm so happy you decided to stick around for the sequel! So much love to you guys.**

 **I really hope this chapter was all you hoped it would be. Obviously Queenie doesn't remember Harry, it wasn't going to be that easy. There is a lot more to come for these two though so I hope you enjoy the chapters to come, along with this one.**

 **To one of my reviewers who asked how many chapters there would be...I really have no idea. Obviously the second was based around the D2 movie, so I had a bit of an idea. This story is pretty much AU, so I'm actually curious to see how many I'll do myself.**

 **Anyway, please leave a review to let me know what you think. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN**

 **Just a quick heads-up! There will be a small flashback in this chapter, and it will be in Italics. All scenes in Italics are flashbacks. Just thought I'd let you know.**

* * *

Queenie stared ahead at her bedroom door, hands clasped together in her lap as she attempted to keep still. She hadn't quite imagined her morning going in this direction, she'd planned on getting some more sleep since she had a free period, but things just weren't going her way. She winced and gripped her blanket harder, a swift sting coming to the side of her head.

A part of her should have known this was coming. She really should have seen it, that Jay would go running to F.G. at the first sign of trouble. Sure, she'd been a little off her rocker the day before, but all of that was gone now and they really had no reason to worry. She was back to normal...well, as normal as she considered herself anyway, and she really didn't want F.G. digging through her head for any unseen 'wounds' that'd occurred during her fall a little while back. The Fairy insisted it was for the best, as they really couldn't be too careful. Queenie tried to understand their reasoning, but she found it rather odd. When the tourney team got hit on the head, and that happened a _lot,_ they went straight to the nurses office for an ice pack and some tests. They didn't have the headmistress rummaging through their mind with magic.

"You okay Q'?" Jay asked, leaning against the wall next to her bed.

Queenie glared at him as best as she could from the corner of her eye. "Fine. It just - ow! Hurts." She muttered. She knew she shouldn't have snapped at him like that, but she really couldn't help it. She was uncomfortable, and he was the reason she had to sit through this in the first place.

"I know dear, it'll be all done soon enough." F.G. assured Queenie with a cheerful tone, though it did nothing to settle the agitated princess.

"I told you, I'm okay." Queenie insisted once more. It wouldn't help, they'd still carry on no matter what. "I don't feel weird or anything you're supposed to get with a concussion, if I did you'd know."

The headmistress hummed to let Queenie know she'd heard her, but carried on none the less.

Queenie huffed and slumped back slightly. Whatever F.G. was doing in there, it wasn't good. It hurt...a lot, and Queenie felt slightly naked in some way. She had a lot of memories, both good and bad, and she wasn't too eager for the fairy to see a few of them. She didn't need to. "Can you _please_ stop." Queenie suddenly exclaimed. She couldn't remember ever being this angry before, but she wasn't going to question it. Having someone worry about her was nice, but this was something else. It was overbearing and she didn't like it one bit.

"Q'," Jay began, but she wasn't in the mood to hear it.

"No! It's okay for you, all you have to do is stand and watch. I'm the one getting my mind poked." She groaned, feeling a familiar ache approaching. "You have to stop."

Much to the princesses delight, F.G. stopped what she was doing. She moved around and looked down at Queenie, sympathy clear in her gaze. "I'm sorry, I know how hard it is, but it has to be done. You took quite the fall, dear, and we have to make sure you're healed on the inside. A few more minutes is all I ask for."

Queenie sighed and nodded, taking a breath as she felt that pressure coming back. She knew the headmistress was only doing what was best for her, but if that was the case then why did she feel so attacked? Queenie knew the woman was only trying to help and yet there was a pestering twinge in her stomach, like the fairy was doing something bad. It was a ridiculous thought of course, F.G. was well-known for her kindness and sweet nature by all of the kingdoms, but no matter what Queenie couldn't settle that constant dread she felt whenever the woman wanted to speak with her. Whatever it was she hoped it would go, and soon.

"There, all done." The headmistress declared, and Queenie's shoulders sagged with utter relief. Her head still hurt, but a few pills would help get rid of that.

"Is everything all right in there?" Jay inquired, and Queenie looked up at the fairy, also wanting to know the answer.

"Everything's completely fine." F.G. reassured, though while Queenie nodded and rubbed at her eyes, Jay frowned. He'd seen the tilt of the head F.G. gave him when Queenie wasn't looking, and he knew they had to talk. Things were _not_ okay.

"Can I get dressed now?" The princess pleaded, a smile coming to her face once the fairy nodded.

"Of course. We'll leave you to it."

"I'll see you later Q'." Jay waved at Queenie, moving to follow the fairy out of the room.

Queenie nodded and quickly wiggled her fingers in a pathetic wave, groaning as she moved from the bed. Her head felt worse when she stood up, and she really hoped this was the last time they did that. When she told Jay it hurt, she wasn't joking, she was actually keeping it light. It felt more like someone was taking a drill to her temple, but they did it so much now that she'd started getting used to it. It had to stop, though, because she knew eventually it would get too much, and when that time came she really hoped they'd listen to her.

The teen walked towards her wardrobe and pulled it open. It was time to start the day.

~...~...~

Jay followed the headmistress all the way to her office, glad that the majority of the school were in classes. To anyone else it'd look like he'd fucked up and was about to get a punishment of some sort. A part of him wished things were that way, that it was as simple as him getting detention or cleaning the toilets. Everything with Queenie was starting to have an effect on him, and it wasn't for the better.

The former thief closed the door behind him and leaned against it. He watched as the Fairy Godmother approached her desk, moving around to sit in her chair. He could tell just from the way she did that simple act that she was stressed. "What's the deal?" He asked, moving to sit in the opposite chair.

"Her memories aren't returning." The fairy sighed, resting her chin on her hands, elbows digging into the wooden desk.

"That's good, right?" Jay shrugged. If Queenie had seen Harry, and her memories hadn't come back, then maybe they never would. It was the biggest worry he'd had so far and now that it was over he felt rather elated in a way.

"The body is a complicated matter, Jay. There are memories, then there are feelings tied to specific thoughts, and just the personality alone is a mystery in itself." F.G. attempted to explain, but Jay had no idea what she was talking about.

"Huh?"

The woman rolled her eyes. "Queenie is, for lack of a better word, different. I have no doubts that she's a wonderful young girl, capable of being a great princess in Wonderland, whenever her Aunt decides she's ready to be trained. I should start by explaining that there are two sides to every person, one is good and kind, the other is selfish and simply...terrible. Here in Auradon, people tend to lean in one direction or the other. Those who are good stay here in Auradon and those who are bad go to the Isle of the Lost. We usually have no in between, in fact most of our students here take a test when they have their thirteenth birthday, so we have a better understanding in how they'll turn out, and we can be prepare for such an event. How much do you know about Wonderland, Jay?"

"Uh," Jay was slightly baffled. The question had certainly caught him off guard. "Not much. Just that it's weird or something."

"Yes, things do work differently there. Their world is, how do I say this? Upside down. They're both good and bad, capable of being generous but also ruthless. Queenie was born in Wonderland and amongst it's own magic, so despite the fact she was raised on the Isle, she's still firmly rooted to her homeland. She's both. Because of her being taken to the Isle, she assumes she can only be one or the other, which is why she was so torn when she arrived. Her mind is at war, a constant battle between good and evil. All I did when she arrived was silence that dark side, and take away any thoughts and memories associated with it. Although, I now assume seeing Mr. Hook has woken that one up. I placed a wall up in Queenie's mind, separating the two, in an attempt to make her more like us. That dark part of her personality is trying to smash down that wall, to join its other half and we can't allow that to happen." The headmistress told him, and he nodded. It was starting to make some sense.

"Okay, that part I get." He sighed, his mind somewhat frazzled from the information he was being given. "But why was she crying yesterday? When I saw her with Harry...I don't know, but she was crying. Like, bad."

"I took away her memories and her pain, but I didn't take away anything else connected to them. They're not completely gone, Jay, just hidden in the back of her mind. No matter what, she was going to recognize him, and anything she felt when she was with him will still be there. I don't know if she was crying because she was happy, or because she was terrified, either way we have to keep them apart." The fairy sighed, rubbing her temples.

"I didn't think he'd come. I mean, I guess I thought he would, but why would he come all the way here just for Queenie? If it was Uma I'd be okay but...I just don't get it." Jay groaned, leaning back to stare at the ceiling. He really needed a vacation.

"When I looked into Queenie's head, it was a very dark place. This young man tried to change her, tried to make her evil just because he could. I felt what she felt, and it wasn't all bad. There were some tender moments between them, but do not let that get in the way. Their relationship was by no means natural or encouraged. It was madness. To the little one it felt like love, even if she didn't know what that was."

Jay moved his head so fast he saw black spots. "What? Don't tell me she was in love with Harry. That changes everything!" He exclaimed. He thought he couldn't feel any worse about keeping everything from Queenie, but he was wrong. Obviously the Isle was a terrible place and relationships were rare, so when they did happen it was never what Auradon would consider 'healthy'. If Queenie loved Harry then Jay was so screwed, more so if Harry loved her back. He was dead.

"It wasn't love, Jay." The fairy said with a hard glare. "It was infatuation. She leaned against him, needed his strength to keep her floating but whenever she started to pull away, he brought her back. Love is beautiful and magical, it's not dark, twisted and based only on survival instinct. They need to be separated for the good of the Kingdom. There has never been a tale of two dark entities falling in love and it won't happen now, it simply can't happen. The idea is absolutely absurd. You must do this, for Queenie at least. I do care for the little one, despite what you may think. I do not condone what happened to her and if I could heal her in a better way I would, but I can't."

Jay nodded in understanding, and felt a little better. He was doing the right thing. He wasn't being an ass-hole by keeping two people in love away from each other. He was just a good friend keeping someone from going off the rails. "Okay." He agreed with a small nod. "I'll do it."

~...~...~

"Remin' me why I'm doin' this again?" Harry mumbled from in front of the mirror, looking back at Uma's reflection.

"You can't get Queenie back with everyone else looking down over your shoulder. You want your princess, you have to try and fit in. It's not permanent so suck it up." Uma replied, watching as he twisted and turned with a grimace.

It was a new day, and since seeing Queenie hadn't quite gone in their favour, Uma had decided on a new plan. Harry had to spend time with her; Alone. It would be tricky...hell, it'd be downright challenging, especially with the core-four keeping watch, so they had to do everything in their power to sway their focus in a different direction. The sea-witch's daughter had learned to adjust to the transition, and if wearing a pretty dress and keeping her hair in a nice, neat bun kept people away then so be it. She knew, eventually, Harry would see it the same way and stop with his whining. She didn't understand why he was putting up such a fuss, it wasn't as if she was asking him to give up the hook. Uma hoped he wouldn't have to do that, as she dreaded the thought of being around him when he didn't have his 'stress-ball', but there was always a risk with Harry. Things were different now, though, since it was Queenie on the line of he screwed up. If he even got close to hurting someone, all she'd have to do is remind him, and she knew he'd calm down.

"It's not so bad." Gil spoke up, hoping to make the pirate feel just a little better.

"How the hell am I supposed to scare someone wearin' this?!" Harry exclaimed, motioning down to his new clothes.

"You're not supposed to scare anyone and that's the point. Queenie might be in there but right now she's a princess, and you're gonna have to play on that. If she wants nice, then you be nice. I told you it wasn't gonna be easy." She shrugged.

"Fine." Harry relented. "But I'm doin' it my way." He took his hook and ripped a few holes in the black jeans, then removing the black and red plaid shirt and tying it around his waist. He was content with the outcome. Not completely, but enough to keep him relaxed.

"Right, drama-queen, if you're done we have to figure out how you're gonna talk to Q'." Uma said, dropping the magazine she'd attempted to read. A few pages in she'd given up, having nothing interesting enough to capture her attention.

Harry spun around and walked away from the mirror, slowly approaching his Captain. "Q'?" He chuckled, and Uma rolled her eyes. "I didn' know ye were on a nick-name basis with my lass."

"Do you wanna discuss names or talk about a plan?" Uma spat. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Harry's remarks today.

"Oh all right, ye're no fun any more." He mock-pouted, and she narrowed her eyes.

"I need you tell me about Queenie."

Harry's smile dwindled. "What do ye wanna know?" He asked.

"What she likes, what she doesn't like. Favourite colour...I don't know! Anything, tell me anything. Even the little things matter here." She shrugged, leaning back onto her hands and staring up at him.

"I don' know what ta tell ye." Harry sang, pacing about the room slowly. "We didn' talk much." He added, seemingly fascinated with the paintings and pictures on the wall.

"Are you gonna stand there and tell me that, during the five months you 'trained' her, you didn't find out anything about her." Uma raised her brows and gave him an expression that let him know she didn't believe a damn word. "Nothing was said with you two?"

Harry lifted his shoulders and finally stopped moving, his back now resting against the closed bathroom door. His eyes quickly glanced at Gil, who was staring out at the tourney field from his window, and Uma realised what was wrong.

"Gil, go check on the rest of the crew for me." Uma demanded, though she didn't take her eyes away from Harry. Soon enough Gil left the room without a word and she let out a loud, knowing sigh. "Talk to me."

"There's nothin' ta talk about." Harry laughed. "Queenie was a quiet one, ye know that."

"Stop feeding me bullshit." The girl said softly. Uma knew full well why he wouldn't tell her anything, and even though she understood why, she couldn't deal with it now. "I mean, you're doing well, trying to get me to think that you didn't give two shits about her back on the Isle. It'll work on everyone here in Auradon, but not me. You can say it, Harry. I'm not gonna judge you. Why would I? We know each other inside out and you're insane if you think I'm gonna kick you off the crew because she's your-"

"Don't say it!" Harry yelled. It wasn't the first time he'd raised his voice with her, and she knew it wouldn't be the last. However, it certainly was the first time he'd shouted at her like that.

"You're not your dad, Harry. It's okay to say it. He's not gonna know, and he's not gonna take her from you. You wouldn't come here for anybody so until you admit it we're not leaving this room." Uma stated. She wasn't mad he'd yelled at her, she understood how hard it was for him to admit, but his absolute refusal to confirm what she already knew was getting annoying. "Just. Say. It."

Harry let out a shout and swept a few items off the top of a dresser. They clattered to the floor loudly but Uma didn't jump, she didn't even flinch. She'd expected this. "She is not my weakness." Harry gritted, pointing the hook at his Captain. "She's a pathetic little girl. Always runnin' aroun' an' gettin' herself into trouble, always expectin' me to save her. She's sweet an' kind an' always so quick to make new friends, even though they could try an' kill her. She's nothin' but a little pest, an' she's not my weakness." Harry was lashing out in one of his worst ways when confronted. Uma knew it. He knew it. All she had to do was wait it out, and she was more than ready to stay in the room all day.

"Then why did you come here?" Uma countered. "Why don't you just go home, huh? Just go back to the Isle, I won't be mad." She wasn't lying. If Harry gave up and went back now, then no harm would be done. He would just be another Isle kid who couldn't stay in Auradon. It'd happened before, so no one would question his actions and she was sure the core-four would be more than relieved. "Queenie would go back to how she was, with no memory of us or you specifically. She could go on and be happy, she'll probably marry a Prince or something. Why are you here, Harry?"

Harry shook his head and looked away, as if the scene outside was much more interesting than the conversation he was currently having. Uma had made a rather good point. He could leave now, go back home and take over the ship, run it for Uma like he'd been doing while she was gone. Even a temporary Captain was still a captain, and he was at his peak on the Isle. They were doing well with business, and so many were eager to join the crew. He had many girls on the Isle ready and willing to do whatever he asked, and yet he was here in Auradon, eager to chase after someone who had no idea who he was. A voice inside of his head, sounding quite like his father, told him to just go home and rule like he'd always dreamed. It was tempting, but he couldn't.

 _"Do you think they'll come back?" Queenie asked timidly, hiding her eyes with her forearms._

 _Harry kept his focus despite her question. "Who?" He muttered, dabbing at the wound. He had an idea of who she was talking about, after all it'd been a month and a half since he'd taken her in, and she hadn't ask once. It was bound to happen eventually._

 _"T-the Core-Four." She whispered in reply, peeking down at him. Her tone alone let him know how apprehensive she was about asking, and he could understand it. His jealousy did tend to get the best of him sometimes, so her being this way was not a surprise._

 _"Would ye come back if ye were livin' it up over there in Bore-Adon?" His question was accompanied by a quick eyebrow raise, and she had her answer. "Let's say they did," Harry said lightly, ignoring her 'hiss' as he touched a tender spot. "Would ye go back to 'em?"_

 _Queenie stayed quiet. He pursed his lips and pressed just a little harder, as if a quick surge of pain would make her answer faster. "No." She gasped, her hands clenching and releasing repeatedly. "No I wouldn't."_

 _Harry smirked and nodded, happy with the answer. "An' why not?" He pushed, cleaning away any remnants of blood on her chest._

 _"Because it means leaving you." She said simply. At his wide-eyed stare, she gave him a small, worried smile. "They were my best friends but...they left. And you're my friend now. You saved me. I would never leave you here on your own."_

 _"I guess I'm stuck with ye then?" Harry attempted to sound just a little aggravated by the idea, but he found himself rather elated with her admission._

 _"Yup." Queenie huffed as she leaned up slightly, her neck straining from the action. "How does it look?" She asked him, trying to see the hook he'd carved into her a few hours before. She'd passed out while he was doing it, and he'd set on cleaning it while she was asleep. She'd somehow woken up near the end, though for that he was partly grateful. He couldn't deal with her crying and shouting during the hard part._

 _"Looks like ye're stuck with me too, love."_

The look of utter adoration she'd given him when he said that showed clear in his mind even now. Back then his happiness brought out hers. She was willing to do anything for him, even something as painful as 'branding', just to satisfy him in some way. It was a feeling all too easy to get high on. Her reliance on him, the way she listened so intently to whatever he was telling her; All of it. Uma wasn't wrong, it really was the little things that made a difference. Queenie had been the best at the simple things, and in the end they all added up to one large thing. He missed her, and it annoyed him so much that he wanted her back. With his Captain gone, and then Queenie leaving, he'd gone a little mad. Gil was a good friend, but he wasn't too good with understanding. Queenie had been. If he went on a rant while she was in his room, she sat down on the floor and listened. She didn't speak or move, she was just there. More than once he'd forgotten she was even with him, and would fall onto his bed with exhaustion. It wasn't until the door closed did he remember who he'd been talking to. The day after when he saw her she didn't even talk about what he'd told her, all she did was ask if he was okay. If he told her 'yes', then she'd give him a nod and they'd carry on to wherever they had to go in silence. If he said 'no', then she'd talk as much as she could to steer his mind away from whatever had stressed him out. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't, it either ended with him listening to her, or finally admitting what was wrong just to get her to shut up. No matter what, though, she was there.

"She has two favourite colours. Red an' white." Harry finally spoke after wetting his lips. He'd been quiet a lot longer than he thought. "She likes watchin' the sun go down. She doesn' like the smell of the sea. She's always wanted a white rose, she don't like the red ones, they remind her too much of her mum. She fiddles with her necklace when she's nervous or thinkin' an' she loves the night more than the day. Happy now?"

Uma's face remained neutral. He wasn't admitting what Queenie was to him, like she'd hoped, but he was telling her in a different way. That in itself was some form of admission. "White roses, huh?" She asked, tongue pressing against the inside of her cheek in thought.

"Yeah."

"I have an idea."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Hi guys! Just me again. First things first, thank you to those who've reviewed, followed and favourited. You'll probably get thanked during every chapter because I'm so grateful so just expect these.**

 **I will apologise that there wasn't any Queenie/Harry in this chapter, but there will be in the next one. I just wanted you guys to have some kind of idea on why Queenie was memory-wiped, and how Harry feels about her. Fairy Godmother isn't a bad person and I don't want her to come off that way, but this is Auradon and anything that isn't good is kind of scary and weird to them. I mean, the way Ben's parents reacted in the first movie to him telling them he was bringing VK's to Auradon was a good enough example. Also, I know in 'S.O.S' the relationship between Queenie and Harry was pretty violent and creepy. I just needed to show that he wasn't always horrible with her. Harry isn't a 'good' person, he has a quite a few issues up in his noggin, and his idea of 'nice' is a little twisted.**

 **Just going to answer a few questions from my latest reviewer. Queenie feeling sick when she first saw Harry was a mix of fear and recognition. Obviously she has no idea who he is, but on the Isle she felt certain things when he appeared, usually her being scared and/or happy. So, after not seeing him for a month, her emotions are a bit heightened. That actually explains the crying as well. The part of her who knows who he is knows exactly what he's capable of. When he told her that he 'forgave' her in the previous chapter, she took that to mean he was forgiving her for going to Auradon, so the crying after that was actually just her being relieved that he wasn't going to kill her.**

 **Queenie will be going through a lot more through the following chapters, her emotions will be everywhere and she has absolutely no idea what's happening, so her head's going to get a bit messy. Also, I'm so glad you liked the Ava/Uma pairing. There will be more with those two through-out this story and more of an insight into how they met, and why Uma doesn't want it getting out. So I hope you guys stick around for that.**

 **Anyway, please leave a review or PM to let me know what you think, and I hope you liked this chapter.**

 **Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

Queenie shoved the red and white striped binder into the top shelf of her locker, occasionally looking behind her to make sure no one else was around. She'd just finished a rather boring Chemistry class, and now had to switch and quickly grab her notes for Magical History. The locker hall was one of the busiest parts of the school, and she hoped she wouldn't have to see any of the Pirates. Her feelings had long since dwindled, but she wasn't too eager to let them take over again. So while she was itching to go and find Harry, she was determined to stay away for now, at least until she figured out what was going on with her.

A loud 'smack' on the locker beside her own caused the princess to jump. "Hey there Q'." A familiar voice greeted.

Queenie released an exasperated sigh and turned, pushing her locker door open until it was pressed firmly against the wall. "Hello Uma." She greeted.

"Rough morning?" Uma asked as Queenie's fingers wrapped around the familiar black folder, hastily throwing it into her shoulder bag.

"Sort of." Queenie murmured, looking down to properly adjust the inside of her bag. Her morning had been pretty uneventful and she really wanted to keep it that way. Uma was her friend, but even though she'd told her most things, the young princess had a small feeling the former pirate wouldn't be too overjoyed to learn that she was hiding from the crew. "Just finished Chemistry." Queenie added with a brighter tone, hoping to sway the teal-haired girl from pushing.

"Yeah, that'll screw up anyone's morning." Uma agreed, leaning against Queenie's locker door. "What's that?"

Queenie tilted her head and looked to see what her friend was staring at. In the inner pockets of her locker, where she usually stacked pieces of useless paper that she hadn't been bothered to throw out, was a flower. A rose, she noted, as she moved to pluck it out. She'd always adored white-roses, unlike her mother who had an obsession with the red variety. And even though Queenie never questioned her love for them, it made her a little happier to know that they were also her Aunt's favourite.

Since her fall, Queenie had received a letter every week from her Aunt in Wonderland, asking about her well-being. It'd been rather sudden and strange to the princess, since no one had ever sent her a letter before, much less someone who shared the same blood as her. Back then she'd assumed that if she just ignored them, then the woman would stop. They didn't. Now she eagerly awaited for the day they'd arrive, even though she had barely anything to write back. Auradon may have been wonderful and beautiful, but it was also boring and full of routine. If the Isle hadn't been so dangerous, Queenie would have loved the uncertainty it brought. No two days were exactly the same and there was always something going on. So this simple rose, despite how perplexed it made her, also left her tingling. It was new, and she enjoyed it.

"There's a note." Uma pointed out, gripping the small piece of paper as Queenie busied herself with sniffing the lovely flower. "Queenie, I hope you like the gift, lass. I can't wait to get to know you better - H."

Queenie held her breath, her feelings of content being replaced with that of concern. If Uma hadn't said the word 'lass', she wouldn't have known for sure who gave the flower to her. His accented voice had been flowing through her mind when she thought too hard, which was why she loathed Chemistry so much. It didn't peak her interests, which meant she drifted off into a void more often than usual during those classes. Harry had been one of those intruding thoughts. The very mention of his name sparked an insane flurry of emotions in the young princess, and since her minor breakdown during their meeting she'd tried hard to avoid even thinking about him. Obviously it wasn't going in her favour so far.

"You know what this means, right?" Uma asked with a small smile. If Queenie focussed hard enough, she could sense something in her friends tone. It sounded like mischief.

"That I need to change my locker combo'?" Queenie joked, attempting to ignore the flutter in her chest.

"No." The other girl chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Someone likes you. A very specific someone if I'm reading this right."

"It doesn't matter." Queenie sighed, gently putting the object back into her locker pocket.

"Why not?" Uma inquired, and Queenie finally closed her locker.

"I...I don't know." The princess struggled to find any words to explain what was going with her to Uma. How was she supposed to tell her that her first-mate terrified Queenie? She couldn't see him again or even talk to him, the risk was too great. "I mean, no offence, but he's kind of intimidating." Queenie shrugged, toying with her necklace.

Uma's eyes flickered downwards. She remembered Harry's words clearly. Queenie was nervous. "Oh yeah, he is. Look, my crew are here for the same reason as everyone else. They want a chance at a better life. Harry's one of those people and trust me, he's making some changes. It's not a date, so don't freak out about it. Ava's gonna help Gil fit in and, since I don't want her overdoing it, I thought you could help Harry out. I'd do the job myself but I still have to help Ben. You understand, right?" It was a bit of a low-blow, playing on Queenie's friendly qualities to get her to be with Harry for more than a few minutes, but Uma knew this would work.

"Doesn't he have a 'Goodness' book like the rest of us?" Queenie wondered.

"Of course, he got it on the first day. But a few words won't help him settle in here, Auradon's different to the Isle and we all know that. You're from there too, so you get it."

Queenie chewed her bottom lip and nodded. She really did want to help Uma, but Harry scared her. If she could find a way to be around him without losing her mind, then she'd do it. Though she also thought of her promise to Jay. She didn't want to disappoint him again. "Can't one of the other VK's do it?" Queenie huffed. She was running out of excuses now and she knew it, but she had to try everything.

"Q', you're _my_ friend, and you're from the Isle. I trust you, so he thinks you're good to go. He won't hurt you I swear, if he does I'll drag him back to the Isle myself. It's just a week or so, what could possibly happen by then?" Uma said with a raised brow.

"Um, I don't know, he could 'hook' me?!" Queenie giggled, but something happened after those words left her lips. Her eyes glazed over and, unbeknownst to her, one of her hands rubbed against her chest.

Uma tensed. The princess wasn't looking at her any more, if anything she was looking straight through her. "Q'?" She asked warily, scanning her surroundings before she waved a hand in front of Queenie's eyes. Nothing. "Queenie!" She said, louder this time.

"Huh? What?" Queenie muttered, coming down from whatever cloud she'd floated off to. "What did you say?"

"I, uh, asked if you could mentor Harry, in a way. Just teach him the basics you know, what not to do here. Is that cool?" Uma asked quickly. It'd been a weird moment, but she had to put it to the back of her mind for now.

"Y-yeah, I guess so." Queenie sighed in defeat, hating the way Uma gave her a grateful smile. She wasn't as eager to please as Ava, but there was something inside her that made it hard to say no. Maybe it was just Uma, and how she'd been such a good friend that made the princess unable to do anything but help.

"Thanks Q'. You're the best. You won't regret this." Uma grinned, skipping around the princess to go to her next class.

"Uma!" Queenie hesitantly called as the teal-haired girl left.

"Yeah?"

"Did I ever meet Harry? Y'know, back on the Isle?" She asked.

"If you'd met Harry, trust me, you'd remember it." Uma chuckled, giving a small wave as she moved on. She had to find her first-mate.

~...~...~

The bell rang out signalling the end of class and Harry shoved his way through the crowd, eager to leave as quickly as possible. Remedial Goodness 101 had been an utter waste of his time. He could have been out looking for his princess, talking to her in an attempt to make her remember. Instead he'd been thrown into a room with his crew and a few other children from the Isle, answering questions he was sure were made for toddlers. They were so basic and idiotic that he'd spent the hour carving little hooks into the desk, a subtle message that whenever he was in that room, that was his desk.

Harry travelled towards the cafeteria, Gil and the rest of the crew following behind. He was starving. He hadn't eaten anything the day before, having been much too focussed on speaking to Queenie for the first time in weeks. That was over now, and Uma was coming up with a plan, so he had a little time to himself.

"Harry!"

The pirate swore and gently ruffled his hair. Food would have to wait, apparently. "Yes, Captain?" He asked with a smile.

"You're in."

They were two simple words, and yet he hadn't quite expected such a reaction from himself. His false grin faded and instead he furrowed his brows, staring down at Uma with slight suspicion. "I'm in?" He repeated, hesitant to believe that one little act of putting a flower in Queenie's locker had gotten him a 'date' with the little one.

"Oh, you're welcome." Uma sarcastically exclaimed. "I had to ask a favour but yeah, she agreed, and I think we need to do it as soon as possible."

"What did ye tell 'er?" Harry asked curiously, sitting down at one of the tables.

"I told her you and Gil needed help settling into Auradon. I said Ava's tutoring Gil, so she has to help you. It was the only way to get her to agree to it, she's scared of you." Uma explained with a shrug.

"She should be." He chuckled darkly. "Makin' me come all the way here. I'm gonna kill 'er when she remembers."

"No you won't." Uma said knowingly, and he pursed his lips. She was right.

"Maybe not, but I'll think of somethin' worse."

Uma pinched the bridge of her nose in slight displeasure. "You still got your 'Goodness' book, right?" She sighed, and he nodded. "Good. Here's her room number," Uma threw a piece of paper in his direction and he looked down. "Meet her there when classes are over." She took a long, deep breath and stood up. A humorous smile came to her face and she leaned down. "Congrats Hook, you're about to learn how to be an Auradon boy, and your girlfriend's the teacher. Have fun." And with that, she left, her laugh aggravating Harry even after she went.

"This is the kind'a shite that sends you ta therapy." He groaned to himself, staring down the number Uma had written. "I'll see ye soon princess."

~...~...~

Queenie smiled and nestled under the blankets of her bed, her arms held up in front of her as she attempted to finish her book. The day had been long, boring and, despite her conversation earlier in the day with Uma, rather good. She hadn't had a meltdown yet and for that she was rather grateful. She hadn't seen Harry, either, which had its own problems. A part of her was glad to not have had a run-in with him, happy that she hadn't felt another hit of overwhelming emotion. Though there was another, smaller part of her that felt a little bit...disappointed. Even though she hadn't actually spotted him that day, she hadn't exactly been subtle. She'd been looking for him. She didn't know why, exactly, but she had anyway. In the Cafeteria at lunch, at Chemistry that morning, even when she was just passing through to go to her next class she'd hoped for something as simple as a glimpse, but she'd gotten nothing. Queenie had tried to convince herself that she only wanted to know where he was to avoid a meeting, but she'd long since realised exactly why she was doing it. For whatever reason, the thought of seeing him again made her heart pound and her palms sweat. From excitement or worry, she wasn't sure, but some stupid, twisted part of her wanted to feel it. Hell, she _had_ to feel it.

Two sharp knocks rang out through her room and Queenie dropped the book to the bed. She gripped the closest pillow and covered her face, releasing a shrill, irritated cry. If it was Jay or F.G. coming to go through her head again, then she had every intention of sending them away. She'd only had one headache today, and that'd been a small one after talking to Uma. She was in no way eager to take a mind-bashing moment again and, if that was the case, then they'd have to wait it out. It was a little late for them to be dropping by but she didn't give it a second thought. Day or night, she wasn't going to do it on their terms any more. Her head was still her head, and she wouldn't have anyone going through it without her permission.

"Jay, I'm really not in the mood for-" Queenie stopped when she pulled the door open, her mind registering quickly that it was definitely _not_ Jay on the other side of the door.

"Sorry ta disappoint ye, love." Harry smiled, his right hand shoved into the front pocket of his jeans while the other held the hook. "Though I guess from yer reaction, ye're kind'a glad I'm not Jay." He added, leaning against her door frame.

"I, uh," Queenie was lost for words. The effect seeing of saying his name paled in comparison to that of actually seeing him. Her heart beat just a little quicker, and her stomach wound in tight knots. The only thing she realised was that she didn't feel an insane urge to break down and cry, again, which was a plus. However, something worse had taken its place. An untameable urge to get closer.

"Did I disturb ye?" Harry inquired, moving past her and walking into the room.

Queenie wrinkled her nose with obvious annoyance. She hadn't invited him in, but he was doing it anyway. He was either overly-confident, or just an idiot with no concept of personal space. She assumed it was a mix of both. "Does it matter?" She muttered, closing the door only after she was sure no one had seen him come in. If F.G. knew she'd had a boy in her room after hours, she'd throw a fit.

"Uma said ye were gonna teach me about somethin'. How to 'fit-in' here?" He explained, tinkering with a few random objects on different surfaces.

"Yeah." Queenie said slowly. She watched him stroll around in her bedroom as if it were his own, touching or looking at anything he could see. She should have been outraged at the motion, she should have told him to get out of her room when she hadn't even told him to come in. She did neither. If anything the sight of him in her own little bubble was rather soothing. "I didn't know it was tonight." She sighed, moving back towards her bed. She made sure to keep her eyes on him, though. It didn't matter that he'd come over to Auradon for the better, or that he was trying to change. He was still a pirate, a very bad pirate if Jay's words were true.

"Clearly." Harry remarked, his eyes wandering down her form as the corners of his lips twitched in amusement.

Queenie blushed and quickly looked down at her current choice of clothing. She really hadn't been expecting visitors. Her pyjamas consisted of a long-sleeved red shirt and white cotton shorts, along with two stripy socks to keep her feet warm. The Isle had always been cold, so going to bed with her feet covered had always been a necessity more than anything, and it turned out to be a rather hard habit to break.

"I can go, if ye want." Harry offered, nodding towards the door.

"No." Queenie said, only realising how her voice came out once the word left her mouth. "I mean, you're here, you might as well learn something. Right?" She hoped to not sound as desperate as she had before. The princess was mentally cursing herself out for that, mainly because she had no idea why she'd sounded so eager. Harry still scared her, more than ever now that they weren't surrounded by other students, but she was a little happy that he'd turned up. She wasn't going to think too hard on it, she'd let it wait until he was gone. Then she'd let her mind take over.

Harry stared at her, and though she felt rather self-conscious, she let it be. He wasn't looking too hard, though, but he did occasionally move his eyes away. He was thinking about something, that she could tell, and from the way his facial features twisted she assumed it was a debate of some sort. "All right." He eventually said with a nod. "I'll stay."

~...~...~

Uma sighed in relief as she stepped over the threshold and into her room, leaning against the door for a second or two. She was utterly exhausted. Between helping Harry get Queenie back, attending the meetings to discuss how to better the Isle and rushing around to get to all of her classes on time, it was really starting to take its toll on her. The young girl could only appreciate all the multi-tasking she'd done back on the Isle, knowing that without all of it she'd have probably collapsed by now. It didn't help that she'd also put on an act when arriving, playing the part of a 'good-girl' to make sure no one tried to have her thrown back on the Island. Many knew who she was, but very few knew her personally. Every day she had to be somewhat nice to random strangers, or make sure to remember her manners in every way possible. Deep down she sympathized with Mal in some way, understanding why the former villain had gone running back to the Isle after coming to Auradon. It really was overwhelming.

"Hey, you're back."

The sea-witch's daughter nodded, moving away from the door. "Yeah." She muttered, rubbing at her eyes with both hands. "I thought you'd be sleeping." She said to the red-headed mermaid.

Ava shrugged. "I wanted to know how it went with Queenie?" Uma's eyes widened just a fraction with slight worry. "The rose?" Ava added with raised brows.

"Oh." Uma sighed with understanding and realisation. Ava didn't know about their plan, but Uma had been forced to ask for the little ones help. They'd needed Queenie's locker password, and luckily Ava knew it off by heart, having traded notes with the princess more than a few times. "It went good."

"That's amazing." Ava said with an enthusiastic smile, her eyes brightening at the thought. "I think it'll do her some good to have someone." She added.

Uma wandered over to the body-length mirror on her side of the room, taking out her earrings. "Why's that?" She asked, though a part of her couldn't care less. She was tired, hungry and just wanted to hit the hay.

"I don't know, I just get this feeling from her sometimes, y'know? When I'm talking she kind of goes off into her own world. Sometimes I think she's lonely, which is ridiculous because she has so many friends. But it's not the same. I think she needs her own...person." Ava explained her thoughts, and Uma nodded in understanding. "Do you think I'm crazy? Maybe I'm reading too much into it." The mermaid began to ramble, pulling back the blankets on her bed.

"You're not crazy." Uma reassured. "You're just perceptive. It's not a bad thing."

Ava giggled and toyed with the ends of her long, red ringlets. "I guess not." She shrugged, moving to hide under her duvet. "Oh Uma!" She called.

The teal-haired girl pursed her lips, pausing in her journey to the bathroom with her pyjamas in hand. "Yeah?" She asked, unable to conceal her annoyance at being stopped. She wasn't too worried about hurting the girl's feelings, if she'd learnt anything by now it was that Ava didn't care much for attitude. No matter what, the little mermaid was always kind, never one to show if she'd been effected in some way.

"I left some pizza on the night-stand. I didn't see you at lunch, so I assumed you didn't eat. If you're not hungry it doesn't matter, you can throw it out. Goodnight." Ava said with a yawn. She switched off the lamp on her side, settling in as she fell asleep.

Uma looked and saw the plate on the stand next to her bed. Two slices of pepperoni pizza and a bottle of water. Her stomach grumbled at the sight but she merely rolled her eyes, going back in the direction she'd been headed. Once inside, she put her pyjamas on the closed toilet lid and gripped the sides of the sink, looking over her appearance in the mirror. She hadn't quite realised just how wonderful make-up was until she started running around. It hid every imperfection, whether it was pimples or just the marks under her eyes from lack of sleep; It worked. Back on the Isle it hadn't mattered to her so much, Harry had always gone on about how he was running out of eye-liner but that'd been the extent of it.

The young teen changed and took her hair out of the uncomfortably-tight bun she'd put it up in, groaning with pleasure as she gently ran her fingers through the braids, seeking out any sore-spots. After quickly wiping any traces of make-up from her face and using the toilet, she headed back into the bedroom. She could tell Ava was asleep, if the light breathing was anything to go by, and she quickly reached for the plate, digging in as she sat down on her bed. She wished she could fall asleep so quick, but that just wasn't one of her greatest qualities. Her mind was always running, constantly thinking of things she had to do the next day. Harry's appearance had only worsened her inability to rest, but he wasn't the only thing that kept her awake.

Uma's gaze wandered over to the sleeping mermaid. Ava wasn't a constant thought, but she popped up more than the girl would have liked. At first Uma hadn't even liked Ava. She could clearly remember how annoyed she'd been at the discovery of having to share a room with someone else, and that only grew once she'd actually met Ava. The mermaid was her opposite. Cheerful, bright and eager to make new friends. Back then Uma had only been in Auradon to help improve the Isle, so she'd seen no need to have to befriend anyone. She'd done her best to avoid her room-mate, even going as far as to leave early in the morning to avoid speaking to her, and then taking late-night swims to ensure she'd arrive back at her room after the girl had fallen asleep. Uma hadn't known about Ava's magical ability then, she'd assumed the little one was as normal as every other princess she'd met. After all, how was Uma to know the girl had a tail? Yes, she was the son of Eric and Ariel, but Uma had read that story and knew that her mother's enemy had given up the sea to live on land, trading her fins for legs. The mermaid gene must have been a genetic one.

Uma finished off her meal and took a sip of water, her thoughts wandering still. Even now she remembered the day things changed. Ava was a persistent one, apparently, and despite knowing Uma had no intention of becoming friends, she'd sought the girl out anyway. Up on land it was easier to avoid Ava, but in the sea it was much different. Uma was still getting used to her tentacles and the way of the ocean, while Ava had clearly been much more experienced. She was faster, stronger and much more confident. The sea-witch's daughter couldn't dodge her any more, she'd had to face her head-on. She remembered giving the little mermaid everything she had, throwing insults and whatever she could in an attempt to get Ava to leave her alone. It hadn't worked one bit. Ava had taken it all and hadn't even given it back, all she'd said was that everyone needed a friend, even villains, and that Uma would simply have to deal with it. If she didn't, then the pursuing would continue. So Uma had, for maybe the first time in her life, given up. Having a friend other than Harry was strange, but it was also an oddly fortunate kind of feeling.

Things hadn't really changed for Uma until a few weeks later. It had happened after she'd arrived back in the dorm room after a particularly hard day. She couldn't quite remember what had happened, she assumed it had been the first time all the tasks and jobs finally got to her. She'd come back and found a tray on her bed, a plate full of toast and a cup of coffee on the side. It'd been a nice gesture on Ava's part, and Uma had been so grateful to have the little one as a friend, but she'd also been slightly enraged once she realised how different it made everything. The movie-nights Ava always dragged her into every Friday night had become somewhat of a nuisance. While before they'd been a relaxing way to pass the time and something to look forward to, Uma was now constantly on-edge during that hour or so. Ava was so innocent in both mind and appearance, Uma wasn't even sure if the girl knew what she was doing when she scooted closer under the blanket, both sharing a bowl full of popcorn or chips. The mermaid had fallen asleep one night, her head lulling back on the villain's shoulder, and Uma hadn't noticed it at first, but it eventually made its appearance. It started out as a small twist in the teal-haired girls stomach, and eventually grew into averted eyes and clammy hands. It wasn't an easy thing to ignore, but Uma had learnt to hide it after finding out just how specific things were in Auradon.

While the land of all that was good and merry may have been a nice place to live, Uma had realised a little later that they enjoyed how things were now, and anything different was either bad or a cause for concern. Thanks to Jay, a girl was now running the fencing team, and still people from other parts of the States were adjusting to that. It seemed they were so set in their ways that anything that changed it simply baffled the entire Kingdom. Kings married Queens, or princesses, and it worked the same way with teenagers. There was no history of Queens marrying Queens, or princes courting other princes, so to assume a princess could even take interest in a villain, a _female_ villain, would send everything into disarray. The Isle was a much different place, and no matter how twisted things were over there, they were the best when it came to diversity. It didn't matter if someone was a girl or a boy, if they were strong and had a good enough quality to offer, then they were on the squad. It worked the same with relationships. If a guy saw something he liked in another guy and it was reciprocated, then they ran with it. Hell, Uma could clearly remember Harry knocking off with a few guys back on the Isle, though he did prefer women, and even though he'd fallen for Queenie, Uma knew full well it could have gone either way. The boy thrived on attention, no matter the gender.

Uma sighed and moved underneath her own blankets, moving around in an attempt to get comfortable. She couldn't worry too much, she didn't even know if she liked Ava, it may have just been a fleeting moment of some sort. She wasn't in love with the girl, and it wasn't a crush like Harry assumed. It was just...something. Whatever it was, Uma really hoped it would go away, and soon.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Hi guys! Just me again. I really hope you guys liked this chapter. I know there wasn't a big Harry/Queenie moment here, that will be in the next chapter though so don't worry, they'll have their moment. I wanted to shine some light on the Uma/Ava pairing I've decided to go with. I saw this post on Tumblr once that people in Auradon probably didn't have same-sex relationships, since boyxgirl was all they're used to, while everyone on the Isle just did what they wanted with who they wanted and no one judged and it really inspired me to do something like this.**

 **I know the last chapter was more of a filler than anything else, since not much really happened, so I wanted there to be more going on in this one.**

 **I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Make sure to leave a review or PM to let me know what you thought. Big thanks to all who've reviewed, followed or favourited, it means a lot.**

 **Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Apologise if ye bump into someone?" Harry lowered the book slightly and turned to Queenie with furrowed brows. "Even if _they_ walk into _me_?!"

Queenie giggled with amusement and nodded. "Yes." She said. "It's a way of keeping the peace here. Fighting's against the rules, so is shoving, hitting, biting...you get it."

"What if they start it?" He asked, tilting his head at the princess. "What if they decide ta fight me? I can' fight back?"

"No, Harry, you can't. You're supposed to walk away from the scene, leave them to 'stew in their anger'." Queenie replied, reading the words from her own 'Goodness' book.

"That has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard." He muttered, utterly befuddled with the whole concept.

Queenie didn't know how long she and Harry had been sitting in her room studying. It could've been half an hour, or an hour, or even more; She wasn't sure. She didn't really care. At first things had been pretty tense. She hadn't wanted him there but at the same time a part of her longed to keep him with her, it still worried her even now, but she found the first-mate was a wonderful distraction. They really had been studying at first, but Harry's mocking or general confusion on anything in the book tickled her. It also felt as if she herself were reading this book for the very first time, though she guessed it was because she hadn't had to go through it in months, not since she first arrived, so there were a few things that now stood out as strange when Harry asked about it. She understood his bewilderment, he had been on the Isle much longer than her, and walking away from a fight was not a good way to react over on their old home. Queenie could remember, back when Jay had been teaching her how to be 'wicked', that walking away from a fight was not an option. You had to stand your ground, prove that you were stronger and that you were right. If a fight broke out then you were good to go, since everything could be used as a weapon. She hadn't had to act out those lessons, but she could imagine that Harry had been raised on similar rules.

The princess leaned back against her pillows, studying the boy beside her while he focussed on the pages. She had absolutely no idea why Jay was so worried for her safety. Harry was intimidating, yes, and he could probably make her shrink and stutter with just his eyes, but Queenie had yet to see that side. Since arriving he'd been nothing but nice to her. They'd talked, laughed and she found herself oddly comfortable around him. It scared her just a little, how eager she seemed to be to relax around him, especially considering how he was new to Auradon. In a split-second he could turn, hurt her or damage something else, and yet she'd never felt so...secure. Whenever Jay came by she felt safe, and it helped if she was out in a crowd knowing that anyone could help if something happened to her, but this was bigger than any of that. Queenie didn't know what it was, but there was a nagging in the back of her head, a small feeling where if she concentrated hard enough, she knew that she'd seen this guy before. It was an outrageous thought, since she knew full well if she'd have met him back on the Isle then she'd remember it, but that pestering suspicion just wouldn't go away, and it was really starting to irritate her.

"Eh princess?" Harry spoke, yanking the small girl from her thoughts.

"Y-yeah?" Queenie stuttered, trying at act as though she hadn't been scrutinizing the pirate only a few seconds ago.

"What does P.D.A. mean?"

"Um," Queenie paused as she looked closer at her own book. One of the rules clearly written down read 'No P.D.A. on the school grounds, or off site.'. "It means no public displays of affection." She said awkwardly.

Harry stayed quiet and Queenie looked up. The pirate stared at her with a brow raised, and she stared back, silently asking him what he wanted. "Ye're gonna have ta say it in Isle, love." He explained.

"Of course I am." The princess muttered with embarrassment, nails lightly scratching at her forehead as she thought of a better, and yet still subtle, way to explain to him that kids in Auradon couldn't just make-out in the middle of the street, or class. It could be easier than she was making it out to be, after all people rarely showed affection back on the Isle of the Lost, since having someone made them a weakness for others to exploit. "You've kissed people, right?"

"O' course." Harry grinned with amusement, and Queenie felt it was a little harder to keep her cool now.

"You can't do that here." She stated, her hazel eyes shining with mirth as his smile fell.

"Ye what?"

"You can't do that here." Queenie repeated with a shrug. "A small kiss on the cheek is okay, but only if people know you're courting. Hugging...I guess it depends on how you're stood, and I know holding hands is more than okay. Anything more than that, though, and you get detention."

Harry nodded in understanding, and though he didn't seem too pleased with what she was telling him, he was at least taking it in. "Ye speakin' from experience lass?"

"I-I, um, no." Queenie stammered, a small blush covering her cheeks as she fiddled with the pages of her book. "I'm not." She hadn't ever really thought too hard on this particular subject. It seemed there were always bigger things on her mind than boys. She wasn't like the other Auradon princesses, she didn't gush over Chad Charming or whoever the next popular prince was, they'd just never held any interest to her. Sure, the boys in Auradon were gorgeous, and Mal really had been a lucky one when she fell for King Ben, a boy who was as kind as he was handsome, but Queenie had soon realised that not everyone in Auradon could be like that. The majority of girls in Auradon wanted to choose a Prince, especially if they were princesses, and the boys would seek out the better princess. None were eager to court the child of a villain, so apparently Ben was one in a million.

"Why's that then, princess?" Harry inquired.

"Back on the Isle, no one really focussed on stuff like that." Queenie swallowed, playing with her pendant. How could she tell someone, specifically someone like Harry, that she hadn't done it because no one had really tried? She could tell from his confidence and demeanour that he had been a reigning VK on the Isle, though she was also basing this off of the small amount of information she'd gained from Uma, and she knew he would have been a main focus for any girls or boys back there. And now that he was here in Auradon, he could still have anyone he wanted. She'd overheard some of the girls around school talking about him, and the gushing had increased after his slight wardrobe change. It seemed even the Auradon princesses weren't immune to a bit of Isle-Boy charm and looks.

"I s'pose, but ye're in Auradon. What's stoppin' ye from goin' out an' gettin' a prince? Ye're a princess after all."

Queenie sucked in a quiet breath. Harry was pushing, she knew that, but she didn't understand why. He was either really trying to make her embarrassed, or he was just curious. She looked up and managed to avoid a flinch. He'd sneakily gotten closer when she wasn't looking, his head tilted down to look directly at her face. "D-do you know who my mom is?" Queenie whispered. She wanted to jump up and run away, stay with Uma and Ava until this unusual feeling settled. Her fingers drummed against the blanket and her heart raced. She was nervous.

Harry nodded. "The Queen of Hearts." He said.

"On the Isle, I wasn't strong and wicked like Mal. I wasn't beautiful and seductive like Evie. I was quiet, and I always stayed close to Jay. Guys on the Isle like strong, they like power and if a girl can give them that, they'll go for it. They enjoy a good chase, because at the end they know what prize they're winning. I wasn't a big deal then, and I'm not now. Here, I'm the daughter of a woman who dabbled with black magic and lost her mind because of it. A woman who would cut the head off anyone for something as small as stealing an apple. I've never had guys lining up to be with me, Harry, and that's okay. Maybe I'm just meant to be on my own." Queenie sighed.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, princess, but ye don' seem like the type to wanna be alone like that."

"You're not wrong." Queenie confirmed. "So, what about you?" She asked with a lighter tone.

"What about me?" Harry asked.

"Did you have a...person, back on the Isle?" Queenie didn't see a problem with her asking, since he'd been so eager to delve into her personal life. It was only fair that she know the same about him.

Harry fidgeted and leaned away slightly, his mind flashing as he thought of a way to answer that question. He hadn't expected her to question him in return, since she never had back when they were together on the Isle. When he asked, she answered, and never asked the same of him. Harry had gotten too comfortable, let himself relax around his princess the way he used to, but her asking was a bitter reminder that she wasn't _his_ Queenie. Not yet anyway. "Sort of." He said slowly. He wouldn't tell her the truth, he couldn't do that just yet. However, small pieces of information would soothe her curious nature and stop her from prying even more.

"Sort of?" She wondered, and he nodded. "Tell me."

"Why are ye so interested?" Harry asked, moving in close. "Ye wanna know if ye got a shot lass?"

Queenie tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth. He was trying to sway her, to somehow intimidate her into moving away from what she wanted to know, and while his sudden proximity sent her emotions into overdrive, she would find out no matter what. She was much too curious now. "Tell me." She said again, hoping she was giving as good as she was getting. Her head was starting to ache, and she wondered if keeping eye contact with the pirate was an idiotic decision, especially since she still didn't know why he seemed so familiar.

"Aye, I did." He finally told her, and Queenie fought to keep the smug smirk from her face. She'd won. "A little lass. She was a pain in the arse, but she took care o' me."

"What happened?" She asked hesitantly. The way he spoke of this girl, with such sadness and slight agitation, made her think it'd gone down-hill somehow. A part of her was a little irritated at the thought of him having a person, and it shook her. She had no reason to be so jealous. Harry was attractive, yes, so in this situation she should have felt envious of whoever he'd been so clearly devoted to. However, this felt different. It was something she rarely felt, since she didn't really have anyone that was only hers in Auradon, but Queenie knew full well this was jealousy, not envy.

"She left me. I kept 'er safe for so long, an' she did somethin' stupid. Now she's hiding." Harry said softly.

"Who's she hiding from?"

"Herself."

Queenie didn't say any more after that. How could she? Whatever Harry had going on with this girl was deeper and probably darker than anyone could comprehend. Even if he explained it to her in fine detail, she wouldn't understand it. He'd answered her question, and though her mind pushed for her to dig deeper, she wouldn't. They'd been having a good time before either one started asking too much, and she wanted that moment back. "She must have been an amazing girl, for you to be so invested." She said.

Harry smiled and nodded. "Oh, aye, she was. I don' let anyone wear my hook." He said.

Queenie nodded, the comment sliding from her mind as her eyes searched out the shiny object. It was between them on the bed, only an inch away from Harry's left hand. She'd read up on his father in her story book, and knew that he wore a hook on that exact same side after losing his own hand to the crocodile, Tic-Toc. Just as she wore her mother's pendant, Harry wore a hook to represent his father. It was a surprise to her that F.G. hadn't taken it away from him, since it would be considered a weapon on campus, but Queenie had to remind herself that if an object was considered a 'safety-blanket' of sorts, then they were allowed to keep it. She'd been allowed to keep her necklace, even though the headmistress had requested it be donated to the museum, like Mal and Evie had done with their spell-book and magic-mirror, but Queenie couldn't bring herself to give it up. It was an heirloom, something to remind her of her home-land and exactly where she came from. It was another root in her mind. So while Harry's hook worried her, she knew she had make herself comfortable with it.

"Can I see it?" Queenie found herself asking.

Harry turned his head so quickly he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck. No one had ever asked to see his hook, it was a well-known and feared weapon on the Isle that everyone knew to avoid. It was his and his alone, quite like Queenie had been. Only two in the whole of Auradon had held his hook with his permission, and Uma was one. "I'll make ye a deal, lass." Harry said, clearing his throat afterwards as he realised it'd pitched after the sudden surprise. "I'll let ye hold it." He saw her eyes visibly glow at his words, her body straightening with what he assumed was happiness. "If ye let me see yer necklace."

"My necklace?" The princess asked apprehensively, and Harry nodded. She looked down at her beloved heirloom, the fingers of her right hand smoothing over the beautiful and red heart-shaped stone. She never took it off, not even to sleep, her mind unable to function when it wasn't near. It may have been ridiculous to some, how clingy she was over it, but no one could understand it. It helped her think when her mind often took her into deep thoughts, helped her calm when she was scared and her anxiety peaked at the thought of someone else holding it, knowing that they would never know why she held it so dear, or treat it with the gentleness that she did. The pendant held great magic, no one knew if it was light or dark, though some assumed it was evil since it had been her mothers. Fairy Godmother informed her once that it took the form of the wearer's true nature, that if the owner's heart was pure and good, then it could do no harm. The only reason others saw it as a dark anchor was because of who it once belonged to. It was Queenie's now, and it was hers alone. All too quickly she knew what Harry was asking her, and what she'd stupidly asked him first. Her pendant was to her what the hook was to him, and to let it into the hands of anyone else would take an insane amount of trust and understanding.

"Ye know now, don' ye?" Harry whispered, his face daringly close to hers. He saw her form drop, her hands go straight towards her necklace as her eyes glazed over in thought. Queenie didn't know that he'd kept the necklace from her back on the Isle, that he'd held it in his fingers once and had no idea why she liked it so much. Back then he'd thought of it as a weakness, and a dreaded piece of jewellery that could keep her from staying with him. Now, though, he could finally get to grips with why she'd never let him touch it when it was around her neck before he took it. Her reluctance now was a clear sign to him that it meant something to her, something more than just a reminder of her mother. It was a part of her. If she let him hold it now, it meant she trusted him. It meant that somewhere in this strange little princess he was trying to get to know, was _his_ Queenie.

Queenie looked up at Harry, her brown eyes meeting his blue. If she gave it to him, there was no guarantee she'd get it back. Harry was much bigger than her, and if she attempted to even keep his hook from him until he gave her back her necklace, he could take her down easily. If she gave it to him willingly, it was a show of trust. Queenie didn't know him, she'd only known of his existence for less than a week, so how could she possibly hand him something that meant everything to her?

Harry gripped the handle of his hook as he kept his gaze on Queenie, carefully lifting it between their eyes. "Ye have ta have faith, little princess." He told her. Harry moved his right hand towards hers, gently removing her fingers from her pendant. He brought her hand towards his hook, looking down to focus better. "I won' take it from ye, I swear." Harry knew that while Queenie had confidence here in Auradon, she was still Queenie, and if he didn't make the first move then nothing would happen. Like always, he had to go first. If he led, then she would surely follow.

"Okay." Queenie breathed, her small digits wrapping around the handle just above his hand. He let her go then, shuffling in a little further. To anyone else it would seem completely strange, two people so close together when all they were doing was inspecting something the other had, but both knew this was something more. What they were doing was the Isle's version of P.D.A., an act of utter intimacy between two VK's. It wasn't something for others to see, it was only theirs.

The princess barely felt Harry's fingers behind her neck, if she hadn't been concentrating so hard on what he was doing she'd have barely felt it. The quiet 'click' of the clasp on her necklace coming undone was hardly audible. The slight tickle of the chains trailing down the sides of her neck set Queenie on edge, and the only thing that kept her still was the growing weight in her right hand. Harry wasn't lying to her, he was really letting her hold his hook. Every second counted in that moment, and with each movement of her necklace, he released his hook to her, his ring-clad fingers moving one by one until, eventually, both had what they wanted.

When her necklace was gone, held carefully in the hands of the first-mate and clear to his intense gaze, Queenie felt rather uncomfortable. She felt as if something had been taken from her and there wasn't a part of her that was happy with it. Only when she brought herself back and looked at what she actually had in her hands did she feel somewhat settled. Harry seemed so intrigued with her necklace that she knew it was okay. Her lips twitched into a small smile, her fingertips trailing over the curves of the weapon he always kept close. Unlike her own heirloom, Harry's held no magical properties, it was just a simple object and yet at the same time, it was so much more. For him, it had power and significance and Queenie could practically feel it. Like small vibrations running through the steel and into the palm of her hand.

Harry wasn't as taken with Queenie's necklace as she was with his hook. Yes, he could see that it held something akin to magic here in Auradon, and that intrigued him in some way, since he hadn't known much about it back on the Isle. It was beautiful and he wasn't sure if his mind was playing tricks, or the gem had really glowed when he twirled it between his fingers. What had him practically shaken was the fact Queenie had actually let him hold it. Wherever she was in there, she knew him, and also trusted him enough to hold this. His princess was here, in the room with him, and while he wanted to shout, kiss her like he'd wanted when he first saw her, and then drag her back to the Isle, he knew he couldn't. For the first time since she'd left his side, he felt content. After tonight, no one would keep her away from him. Not even Jay.

"Beautiful." Queenie muttered. She wasn't sure if it was Harry's presence so close, or how it felt to hold something so powerful, but she felt a small surge of adrenaline in her body.

Harry tore his eyes away from the necklace he held to see something so much more appealing to him. She'd held his hook once before, but it still felt like the first time. When she'd asked him to 'hook' that guard back on the Isle of the Lost, it'd taken a lot for him to let her do it, but the end result had been so overwhelming. The way she'd stuck the point into the man's neck, with some help from him of course, and spilled his blood with all the anger she'd been holding back, it'd been a wonderful thing to see and Harry counted himself lucky that she'd let him stay with her for it. That had been the first act they'd done together, something that held more meaning and memory than a kiss or a roll in the sheets. And now, with her staring and stroking his hook with so much awe and attention, like it was something to be treasured, had him shivering with glee. Queenie was strong, like he'd always known, but some of her strength was drawn from him. They were two halves of a whole. She was calm and kind, while he was vengeful and hot-tempered. If tensions ran high, she could calm him in a way no one else could. If she was feeling rather small or timid, a few words from him could bring her right back up. The other held what one lacked, and Harry mentally berated himself for not seeing it sooner. When he brought her memories back, and he would, they could be something no one could go against.

"Princess." Harry muttered, having to lick his lips when he realised just how dry they were.

"Hmm?" Queenie said as a reply. She mustered enough strength to look away from the hook, her stomach twinging with slight nausea as she turned to Harry. His pupils were blown so wide that she had to squint to see the blue they held. His breathing had fastened, like he'd been running for quite some time, and Queenie froze as she took note of how much closer he was to her. "Harry?"

"Aye?" He mumbled, the tip of his nose lightly tickling her own.

"Did I know you on the Isle?" Queenie didn't know what prompted her to ask this question, and she wondered if she ever would know. Part of her felt sick, and her hands were trembling as they began to sweat. Her pulse raced, much like it did when she was scared. However, something was different this time. She was terrified, of Harry, of everything he'd forced her to endure without even knowing it himself. When his name was said, when she saw him, anything to do with him brought out different reactions. Scared, happy, excited, fearful. A mixture of everything she recognized and more. There was absolutely no way in hell she'd feel so strongly for someone she'd never met, and she was beginning to take note of how weird everyone acted. How Jay looked so worried when she asked about Harry, or when he told her to stay away from the pirate. How Uma looked so smug or curious at the mention of her first-mate. They were all hiding something and Queenie's curiosity was peaked more now than it had ever been. Something was going on and she had to know, and maybe Harry had all the answers.

Harry grinned, searching through his little ones eyes for something as simple as recognition. It was there. "Ye knew me very well, darlin'." He confirmed, moving that last inch for them to finally meet in the way he'd been planning since coming to Bore-Adon.

"Queenie?!" A loud, angry shout and harsh knocking from the door broke the two teenagers out of their spell.

Queenie jumped back as though she'd been burned, her mind clearing the fog Harry had created. She hastily moved up and off the bed, running towards her bedroom door and tugging on the handle. "Jay?" She said breathlessly, brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you doing here?" Queenie didn't open the door all the way, knowing full well what might happen if her closest friend saw the pirate in her bedroom. Instead she peaked around the wood.

"Evie told me she could hear you talking to someone in here." Jay explained, his hands resting inside the pockets of his jeans.

Queenie gaped. She felt a child again, about to be scolded by a parent for having their hand in the cookie jar, so to speak. Her body felt practically numb, whether it was an effect of the rush fading, or the thought of being shouted at by Jay, she wasn't completely sure. "Um,"

"I know he's here, Q'." Jay grunted, finally opening the door and storming into the bedroom.

"Look, Jay..." Queenie stopped as she looked. Harry was gone, the only indication he'd even been there was her window, which now swung on its hinges.

"Why's your window open?" Jay asked, utterly befuddled at the sight of an empty room.

"I-I got a bit hot." Queenie stuttered, struggling to keep a neutral expression as Jay looked around her room. "I thought opening the window might make me feel better." She added with a shrug, in the hopes it would keep her friend satiated.

"Uh-huh." He wasn't convinced, she could tell. Jay even began to look under her bed and peek into the large closet, looking for someone Queenie assumed was long-gone by now. "Then how do you explain the talking Evie heard?" Jay pressed.

"I was reading. Out loud." The princess knew she wasn't the best liar, in her opinion it was a rather pathetic attempt. She could only mentally scream a 'thank-you' to Harry for being so quick on his feet.

"Oh." Jay sighed in understanding, moving from one foot to the other in apparent shame. To Queenie, he seemed a little disappointed. He'd come with intent and had been so sure of himself, and she felt a little bad for lying to him, but she didn't have any other choice.

"Look, I'm really tired and you look exhausted, can we talk in the morning?" Queenie asked hopefully. It wasn't a lie this time, she really was tired. The adrenaline rush was fading and now that it was gone, there was an obvious pounding in the back of her head.

"Yeah, of course. I'm sorry I barged in I just...I don't know, you're my friend and I worry about you." Jay shrugged as he walked towards her, and Queenie nodded in understanding. "We'll talk in the morning, okay?"

Queenie nodded again. She kept one hand behind the door, the one that held Harry's hook, and gave Jay a one-armed hug which he returned. "Goodnight." She waved, closing the door behind him as he left.

The moment the door was closed, and the latch slid across, Queenie rushed towards the window. She leaned over and searched the darkness for any sign of the pirate, but she couldn't see anything. "Harry?!" She whispered loudly. She didn't want to run the risk of anyone seeing them, but she had to give him back his hook, and get her necklace.

"Is it clear?!"

Queenie let out a breath of relief. "If it was, would I be calling you?" She replied with sass, her patience tested as the seconds went by. Her headache was getting harder to ignore, and she had to take something for it now.

"Calm down, princess." Harry chuckled, stepping out of the shadows so she could see him better. "As much as I enjoy seein' ye with it, can I have my hook back?"

"Of course, if I can have my necklace back." Queenie smiled, crossing her arms on the window ledge. She was tired and the pounding wouldn't stop, but she couldn't stay mad at him for nothing.

"At the same time?" Harry smiled, holding out his hand, the golden chain dangling from his fingers. "One,"

"Two,"

"Three."

Queenie leaned out her hands and dropped his hook, while at the same time Harry threw upwards with as much strength as he held. Both caught their beloved objects, and though their moment wasn't forgotten, neither were eager to let go of their possessions for some time.

"So," Queenie said quietly, her mind and body calming as the necklace fell back into its rightful place. Around her neck. "How are you gonna get back to your room?" She wondered, knowing the boys dorms were on the other side of the building.

"I'll figure somethin' out." Harry said with a small shrug. He'd told Gil to wait up for him, and Auradon wasn't too preoccupied with security, so getting back would be no problem for him. "Ye have to admit, ye're enjoyin' it."

"Enjoying what?" Queenie asked with slight confusion, and Harry grinned.

"Sneakin' aroun'."

Queenie giggled and rolled her eyes. "Goodnight, Harry." She said, leaning out to grip the window handle.

"'Night princess."

Queenie pulled the window shut and closed it securely, sliding down into her bed. She smiled to herself and headed towards the bathroom, digging through the drawers for some pain-killers. She grasped the mug set aside and filled it with water, looking up at the mirror in front of her, just above the bathroom sink. She stared at herself for a moment, taking note of her pink cheeks and unwaveringly-giddy smile. She knew she was being an idiot, first by even letting Harry into her room, and then by almost letting him kiss her, but she didn't care. How could she? For the first time in her life, she finally felt what all the other girls were talking about. It amused her that of all the possible people to take an interest in, a pirate had been the one to get her attention.

The princess shook her head quickly, taking a sip of water with the pills to better swallow them down. She gagged and drank some more, her eyes wandering to the mirror again. This time, however, she saw something. A small scar the size of the palm of her hand, right between her breasts, on full view.

"Oh." Queenie moved and quickly wretched into the toilet, her hands gripping the porcelain edges. Harry would have seen it, and yet he hadn't said a word to her about it. If anything he seemed to have avoided the area completely, to her knowledge anyway.

Queenie gagged again and released the contents of her stomach, her headache now unbearable as her mind raced. It felt as if she was seeing the night from a different perspective, now concentrating fully on things that'd been said when they'd completely gone over her head before.

 _"She must have been an amazing girl, for you to be so invested."_

 _"Oh, aye, she was. I don' let anyone wear my hook."_

 _"Did I know you on the Isle?"_

 _"Ye knew me very well, darlin'."_

Queenie gasped and cried out, salty tears streaming down her cheeks. It all made sense now. Uma's insistence on her tutoring Harry, her reaction when they first met, how comfortable she was around him, Jay telling her to stay away from Harry. Everything. The scar she'd been so confused about up until now was clear, and she felt so, so stupid that she hadn't questioned it before. Why hadn't she seen it when she first saw him? The hook on her chest, and the one Harry carried around with him with such swagger, were connected somehow. It was all sticking up in bright red flags of warning. She _had_ known Harry back on the Isle, maybe more than anyone was telling her, but she couldn't remember him. She recognized him, but she didn't know him.

"Ah!" Queenie let out a scream, the ache now turning to full-blown pounding. It burned her mind, like someone was taking a hot poker to her head. "Harry." She whined, holding onto her hair as if her mind were about to explode. They were keeping something from her, something big, and she was going to find out what it was. Even if it killed her.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Hi guys! Just me again. I know this chapter took a little longer to get out, but I was so stuck on what to do. I know I wanted a good moment between Harry and Queenie, but I wanted to get it right. Hopefully, this was good enough.**

 **Big thank you to all who've reviewed, favourited and followed! I'm also glad you guys are enjoying the Ava/Uma pairing. I know Huma is a full blown ship so I wasn't sure how a story with those two with different people would go down, and I'm so happy you guys are enjoying it.**

 **Right, a few things about this chapter. Queenie hasn't gotten her memories back just yet, the magic in her head is strong and being with Harry won't change it. He is, however, making her feel things that she has to question, so Queenie will be doing some digging in future chapters. There will also be more Harry/Queenie and Ava/Uma moments during this story. There's still a lot more for the characters to go through, mainly Queenie, so I hope you guys stick around for that.**

 **Anyway, make sure to review or PM me to let me know your thoughts on this chapter. I really hope you guys liked it.**

 **Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

"Queenie?"

The young princess blinked owlishly as she came back to earth, looking back at her red-headed friend. "Yeah?" She asked.

"Are you okay? You haven't touched your food." Ava spoke quietly and with some concern.

Queenie looked down towards her plate, only now noticing that it was as full as it had been minutes ago after they'd come to sit. The only difference was that the majority of her breakfast had been pushed around. Her hands always did tend to fidget when she was deep in thought, she must have been moving the food around with her fork when her mind took her elsewhere. She could only count herself lucky that she hadn't spilled it all over herself.

"What's wrong?" Ava asked, gently moving her own half-empty plate aside. She leaned forward with her arms laid out on the table, as if the two were discussing something no one else should overhear.

"How long have you known me?" Queenie inquired, copying her friend's movements. She really didn't want anyone to know what they were talking about. She trusted Ava, and she'd known the princess for a good while now so she was sure the mermaid wouldn't go blabbing.

Ava's brows knitted in a frown. "About a month." She answered honestly. "Why?"

"A month..." Queenie pushed her tongue into the side of her cheek, her eyes wandering about the room as she thought.

"Queenie, what's going on?" Ava pressed, twirling the ends of her curls.

The brown-haired princess shook her head lightly. Ever since the night with Harry, her mind had been going through a loop. She knew people were keeping a few secrets from her, the whole situation worse because of how close she was to them. Queenie hadn't slept at all that night two days ago, her head much too frantic, and she'd been holed up in her room since then. This was the first morning she'd actually decided to socialise. However, she was nowhere near relaxed or satiated. When she'd tried to think back on her time on the Isle, and she'd done so with as much strength as her poor, exhausted head would allow, she hadn't found much. Anything after the core-four leaving her on the Isle was just...gone. She couldn't remember coming to Auradon, being present at the coronation, or even seeing everything that had happened at the Cotillion. Before, she hadn't ever tried to think about these things, having only been interested in getting her work done or hanging out with her friends. Her memories were hazy and muddled, and it terrified her.

Queenie pursed her lips as she attempted to remember bumping her head a month previous. Jay had told her she'd fallen down some stairs, hit her head quite hard on the floor and spent three whole days unconscious. She was no nurse, but she could guess that something like that wouldn't take away six month's worth of memories. If that was the case, then why hadn't they returned now? F.G. told her that her head was fine, both on the outside and the inside, so it would have all come back to her by now. Something really was going on, and she was _going_ to find out what.

"Queenie." Ava said, louder this time in an effort to get some answers. "What's going on?" She asked again.

Queenie eyed her friend with slight hesitation. It wasn't fair. She wished she could just go back a few days, back to when she had no idea what was going on and could just go about her day without a problem. She partly blamed Harry, or Ben depending on how one viewed the situation. If Ben had just been happy with the villain kid's he'd brought over to Auradon then Queenie wouldn't have even met Harry, she wouldn't have felt so overwhelmed at the sight of him and her life wouldn't have changed one bit. She knew how petty she was being now, trying to shove the blame onto someone else when she didn't have all the facts, but she really couldn't help it. Things had taken a turn for the worst for her and now that she knew people were hiding things from her, she really didn't know who to trust anymore. Ava was a wonderful person and she'd only ever been kind and considerate, and yet here the princess of hearts was, silently observing and nit-picking at her friend like she was Chernabog in disguise. Queenie couldn't tell anyone, not even Ava, and most certainly not until she knew exactly what was going on with her.

"It's nothing, I've just been thinking." Queenie assured with a small smile, taking a small bite of her eggs.

"Are you sure? You can tell me anything. You know that, right?" Ava whispered.

Queenie nodded as she forced the food down her throat. The ongoing and growing stress was starting to effect her physically, as well as mentally. "I know." She mumbled through chewed-up yolk, restraining the urge to spit it all into a napkin. She had to at least try and act normal, and throwing her food up was not a way to do that.

"Uma! Hey!" Ava suddenly shouted out, voice full of enthusiasm and excitement. Apparently her concerns had diminished, much to Queenie's relief. "I meant to ask, how did your date go with Harry?"

Queenie choked and went against the words she'd thought to herself only moments ago, spitting out the egg and taking a gulp of juice. "What?" She sputtered with wide, startled eyes.

"Your date." Ava stated, slower this time. "Harry left that rose in your locker with the note. Uma said you guys were hanging out the other night."

"I-I don't...it wasn't...I mean," Queenie stuttered over her words, pushing a stray lock of her behind her ear. "I was going over the 'Goodness' book with him. Y'know, like you were with Gil?"

Ava tilted her head with a puzzled smile. "I'm not helping Gil." She stated, and Queenie gaped.

"Hey there princesses." Uma greeted, sitting down next to Ava.

While Ava nodded in greeting and began rambling about something or other, Queenie stayed silent, pushing her food around the plate as her mind wandered...again. Uma had lied to her. It hadn't been a big lie, not something anyone should be so upset about, but Queenie was feeling rather vulnerable lately and she couldn't help but think more of it. Ava hadn't been tutoring Gil, that was a fact, so why on earth had Uma been so insistent on Queenie helping Harry? The Captain wanted them to spend time together, apparently, and for a few seconds Queenie didn't understand why. Only when the conversation between her and the first-mate popped into her head did she start to get it.

"I have to go." Queenie said, fumbling to pick up her things.

"Everything okay?" Uma asked curiously.

"Y-yeah, everything's fine I just...have to study. Yeah! I have to study for...something. I'll see you guys later." Queenie waved half-heartedly and rushed away from the two. She had to get to the library.

~...~...~

Uma watched Queenie leave with a curious, and slightly suspicious, gaze. It was only Thursday, and as far as the teal-haired girl knew there weren't any tests coming up. The princess only ever studied on the weekend, having never told them otherwise, so it was strange for her to rush off and do it now. Uma had also taken note of how frantic Queenie seemed, just from the way she'd almost tripped over the chair when getting her stuff together was proof enough. Something was wrong with Queenie.

"What's up with her?" Uma asked her little friend.

"Uh, nothing." Ava replied, a little too quickly in Uma's opinion. The red-head gave a large, closed-mouth smile and Uma knew straight away that she was hiding something. Ava was a good person and a wonderful friend, but she was a terrible liar.

Uma turned and straddled the bench they sat on, staring her friend straight in the eyes with a neutral expression. It had been one of her best intimidation tactics back on the Isle, and though she hadn't had to use it much here in Auradon, she was more than willing to do just that. "Ava." She said firmly.

The mermaid's smile faltered at the corners, and her eyes slowly began to widen. She was breaking. "Okay!" She yelled out, shrinking in her seat. "I may have accidentally told her that her night with Harry was a date." She admitted.

"You did what?" Uma exclaimed quietly. All the pestering and the little white-lie she'd told had been for nothing, since Ava apparently couldn't keep her mouth shut. Queenie had been so dead-set on staying away from Harry that Uma had no choice but to do it. She wasn't an idiot, she could guess that Jay had said something to the princess the day Harry had arrived in Auradon, and despite her many faults Queenie was quite the loyal friend. Finding out that Uma had lied to her and that the night had meant something more to Harry must have scared her off.

"In my defence you didn't tell me that you'd stirred up some story to get them alone. If you had, I wouldn't have accidentally blabbed now, would I?" Was Ava's reply.

Uma wanted to be mad, she wanted to be angry with the little one for messing things up, but she couldn't. The girl did have a point after all. "I guess so." Uma muttered with displeasure. She'd talked to Harry since then, asked about that night and he'd told her things went well. She'd have to find him again today and let him know what happened so they could find a way to fix things now before Queenie really did stop talking to them.

"Anyway, how was your morning?" Ava inquired with a cheerful tone, their previous conversation abandoned.

"Fine, nothing interesting." Uma shrugged, uninterested in discussing her less than eventful morning. "How was 'Villain Bashing'?" She fired with an amused grin, almost laughing at the look of utter offence on Ava's face.

"It is not 'Villain Bashing'." The mermaid said quietly, taking a quick scan of the cafeteria to make sure no one had overheard. "It's just a way for us Auradon kids to talk about our feelings and opinions on the transfers. We don't talk bad about you guys." She added with slight reassurance, as if Uma would be outraged at the thought of a bunch of princes and princesses talking shit about them.

"Transfers?" Uma repeated the word with mirth in her gaze, and Ava nodded. "Okay, I'll take it. Anything juicy to tell?"

Ava looked around again and, after making sure no one would hear her, leaned in closer towards Uma. "Nothing big, but I know Thalia and some of the other fairies aren't happy about your crew being here. They're not too fond of pirates, apparently." Ava spoke, then moving back in her seat when she was done.

"Scandalous." Uma gasped with sarcasm, giving a small chuckle at Ava's expression. "Did you, uh, say anything about it?" She attempted to sound disinterested, as though the though of Ava not defending them to the fairies wouldn't bother her in the slightest. It aggravated her that she did care, but she wouldn't let the little mermaid know that.

"Of course I did." Ava giggled. "But uh, Chad didn't really take that well. He said my opinion doesn't count because I choose to see the good in everyone, even pirates." Ava was a naturally bubbly and happy-go-lucky girl, but even she couldn't hide her slight sadness as she recounted the prince's words to her friend.

"You do see the good in everyone." Uma told her, hating the slight pang she felt at Ava's dejected nod. "But that's not always a bad thing." The sea-witch's daughter said quickly. "I mean, we're not good people, we were raised on the Isle so no one expects it from us. You should know, though, that sometimes we need people like you. People who want to find something positive about us and bring it out. People treat you like a monster or a freak and after a while you stop trying, you give them the monster because they won't see you any other way. You're a good person A', so don't change for anyone."

"Thank you." Ava smiled shyly, looking down at her hands resting in her lap.

"Besides, Chad's a dumb-ass. He's just mad that Ben got to be King before him, so I wouldn't take any of his words too personally." Uma said with a small shrug. Their small moment had been, at least to Uma, a little too intimate for her liking. She was confident that Ava wouldn't take interest in her, even if the little one did like girls, so she knew she couldn't slip up like that again. "So, I find it a little offensive that you guys have a secret class where you get to talk about us, but we don't have one where we can bitch about you." She said humorously.

"You do, and it's not a secret." Ava stated, and Uma tilted her head with some confusion. "Remedial Goodness 101? Don't try and tell me different, I know what you guys really do in there when F.G. isn't around."

Uma let out a surprised laugh and nodded. Ava was back to normal and that was good. Now all she had to do was set things right with Queenie.

~...~...~

"See you later guys!" Jay waved, looking back over his shoulder as he left his team. Practice was over for the day, and he was dead-set on having a nice, long and hot shower.

The former thief moved quickly towards the building, his tourney bag slung over one shoulder. He knew he was going to have to visit Queenie at some point, he'd been slacking lately when he really shouldn't have. With Harry in Auradon, he knew things would only get worse. Hell, they already had. She'd had one moment already and though he really wanted to keep her safe and give her someone to talk to, he also had other things to do. Yes, he'd promised F.G. he'd help keep the princess and the first-mate away from each other, and he'd been trying, but the headmistress had to remember that he was only sixteen himself, and he did have things in his own life to concentrate on. The Fairy had been on his ass lately about going to see Queenie again, to see if the little one remembered anything from the Isle, and it was starting to irritate him immensely. So after his shower, his food and some rest, he'd go see his friend.

Jay stepped through the door and into his bedroom, throwing his tourney bag aside as he closed the door behind him. He didn't have time to even relax, apparently, because as soon as that door shut, he found himself shoved painfully against the wood. His left arm was bent and tugged upwards behind his back, and he could feel something sharp just underneath his chin.

"Hello Jay." A familiar, masculine voice chuckled.

"Oh great." Jay muttered exasperatedly, closing his eyes for a second. He really wished people would just leave him alone.

"Firs' things firs'." Harry gripped Jay's long hair in his right hand, releasing the boys arm to instead pull back Jay's head, then slamming it towards the door with a loud 'clunk'. "That is for throwin' my hook in the water." The pirate then repeated the motion, knowing he wouldn't have long until Jay got himself out of this predicament. "And that is for takin' my princess away."

Jay grunted, his head pounding from the sudden assault, but moved swiftly. He turned in Harry's tight grip, ignoring the sting of his hair being pulled as he threw a punch towards the first-mate's eye. "Do you even pay attention in Remedial Goodness?!" Jay exclaimed with a wince, putting as much space as he could between himself and Harry as he put a hand to his forehead.

"Do you?!" Harry threw back with a laugh. "Damn, that was a good hit."

"Why are you even here?" Jay frowned as he wandered towards the bathroom. Harry had ruined his good day, and now he was pissed.

"Now, that's a good question." Harry said, seemingly unaffected by his own injury. "I'm here ta talk about Queenie."

Jay paused as he rummaged through the bathroom drawer, his search for some pain-killers put on hold. For now. "Uh, I don't know what you're talking about." He replied, lightly scratching at his cheek.

"Oh, I think ye know exactly what I'm talkin' about."

Jay took a breath and gave up his current task. He moved away from the cabinet and stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame and facing the pirate. "I really don't know what you're talking about." He stated, crossing his arms.

"Really now?" Harry wondered with obvious distrust. "So ye've got no idea why the little one don' remember me? Or Gil? Or anyone else from the crew. I know ye did somethin' ta Queenie, what I can' figure out is why ye did it. I mean, we've never had any real issues, 'ave we?" He used his un-hooked hand to wave a finger, motioning to himself and Jay. "What could possibly make ye wanna take my princess away?"

"I didn't take her away, Harry. She asked me to bring her here." Jay sighed, his body and mind both burned out from all the pressure and stress he'd endured over the last few weeks. He didn't want to fight Harry, he really didn't have the energy to do something like that today. He wasn't about to tell the first-mate what he'd let happen to Queenie either, so for now he just had to be a little subtle about it all.

"Oh, I remember that day too, ye know? Me an' Queenie, we jus' killed this guy ye see, so her leavin' came as a bit of a surprise." Harry was a hard person to read at the best of times, his ever-changing features and veil of calmness often had people stumped. Now, however, Jay could see just how angry the pirate was, even if he was still grinning like a madman. "She left me a letter, sayin' she'd be back as soon as ye 'fixed' her. She didn' come back though, did she? I know somethin' happened, Jay, an' ye're gonna tell me." He stopped, tilting his head left and right as he though of his next words. "Whether ye wan' ta or not."

"Okay, hold up." Jay raised his hand to rub at his forehead again. He wasn't sure if it was because of having his head bashed against the door, or all the crap Harry was throwing at him, but his head was really starting to ache. "She left you a letter? Why the hell would she go back to you?" He wondered, utterly baffled at the idea of his friend running back to some bad-tempered, abusive and possibly-insane boyfriend.

Harry smiled then. "She loved me...well, I reckon she still does. She didn' know it, but I did." He said proudly.

"Queenie loves you?" Jay asked, though it leaned more towards that of a statement. He wasn't convinced though. "You hit her, lied to her and manipulated her into doing whatever you wanted her to do. Why would you think she loves you?"

"I've got issues, I'll admit that. An' maybe I handled things the wrong way. _But,_ " Harry's smile dropped in a matter of seconds, his eyes hardening as he stared the other boy down. "I'd do anythin' for that girl. I really don' give a shite if ye believe me or not, but ye took my lass away an' now ye're gonna give her back. Whatever ye assholes did ta her, it wasn' what she wanted. She was gonna come back an' ye stopped her. Ye didn' do it for her benefit, ye did it for yer own."

Jay glared, but had to avert his eyes. Harry's words hit him like a knife to the gut. He didn't know Queenie had planned on going back to the Isle after getting help. Jay had automatically assumed she'd come to Auradon to stay, which is why Ben had even had her room made up beforehand. If he'd thought for one minute that she really wanted to go back to the Isle, maybe he'd have made more of an effort to stop F.G. from constantly wiping the princesses mind. His previous fears and worries had been confirmed. Queenie did love Harry. It didn't matter that he had no idea why she loved the pirate, but she did. He'd always wanted to put Queenie's happiness first and maybe by letting her go to be with Harry, he could finally give her that. He just had to run it by F.G. first.

"Are ye understandin' me now?" Harry said, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees. "She's gonna remember eventually, an' who do ye think she's gonna blame first?"

"I can't help you, Harry." Jay finally admitted. He didn't want to help Harry, not really. He thought that bringing Queenie's memories back and letting her run off with a pirate that treated her like absolute trash was idiotic. He didn't know what they had, maybe he never would, but whatever it was it seemed to make her happy. Jay hadn't forgotten that day she'd told him to leave her on the Isle, he still remembered her words even now. What she and Harry had wasn't good, but it was something. She'd seemed so sure of herself back then, and though Jay enjoyed seeing her live a life of joy and relaxation in Auradon, he knew it also wasn't real. There was also the matter of Fairy Godmother.

"Really? I practically tell ye the ins-an'-outs of mine an' Queenie's thing an' ye still won' help me?" Harry sighed, eyes wide in either amusement or exasperation. Jay wasn't too sure which, probably both.

" _I_ can't help you, Harry." Jay said the words once more, this time clearer and slower. He wasn't lying, he really couldn't help Harry. He had to speak to the headmistress first, no one else could take the spell away from Queenie, only her.

Harry rolled his eyes and stood to his full height, eyes hard as he stared at Jay. "Fine." He said. "Don' help me. When my little princess remembers everythin' she'll be comin' for yer head first, Jay. See you roun'."

Jay let out a loud, pain-filled groan and closed his eyes. Things with Queenie had been difficult enough, but now he was faced with an even bigger dilemma. He had to get F.G. to lift Queenie's spell.

~...~...~

Queenie furrowed her brows as she stared hard at the pages in front of her. Her eyes burned from lack of sleep, but she had to keep going.

The princess had spent a good while in the library, searching for any medical books she could to find out if hitting her head would have resulted in memory-loss. She could still remember the odd looks she'd received from the librarian when she'd signed out six different books, like she was either losing her mind or up to something. Queenie had ignored the woman's glances, of course, knowing that not everyone was happy with Ben's decision to bring children over from the Isle, and many were simply refusing to entertain the thought of them coming over to be 'good'. Queenie didn't care about that, not now anyway. She'd long since gotten comfortable with knowing that not everyone liked her, or that they weren't going to trust her, and she had enough friends to feel good enough about it. Besides, she had other matters to deal with.

All the books, she found, seemed to say the exact same thing. Amnesia could occur if one hit their head hard enough, though the memories did sometimes return. Stress could cause forgetfulness, but not full blown memory-loss. Traumatic incidences could also be another cause, but Queenie hadn't had any of those during her time in Auradon, none that she knew of anyway. If there was anything truly worrying going on with her head, F.G. would have seen it and fixed it. There really was no reason for Queenie not to remember the last six months, and she found that not knowing was the worst thing to face.

"Hey Q'!" The voice was followed by a loud knock, and Queenie jumped.

"Yeah?!" She called back, attempting to settle her racing heart. She was wound so tight lately.

"Can I come in?!"

"Uh," Queenie mumbled as she took a quick scan of her surroundings, part of her wondering if Uma would think she was crazy for having all these books. "Sure!" She finally yelled out, finding herself too tired to care about what Uma thought of her.

The teal-haired girl came through the bedroom door, gently closing it behind her as she eyed Queenie with slight worry. "I wanted to talk, but I guess you're busy." Uma spoke, her words mumbled as she focussed more on the books laid out on Queenie's bed than what she was saying. "Are you okay?"

"Am I okay?" Queenie whispered, more to herself than her friend. "Uh, no, no I don't think I am." She admitted, suddenly feeling slightly overwhelmed at the thought of telling someone what was going on.

"What's wrong, Q'?" Uma asked gently. She could clearly see that, in this moment, Queenie wasn't in the right frame of mind. Her eyes wandered the room quickly, as if she couldn't fully concentrate on just one thing, and her hands shook and fidgeted, either grasping the bedsheets or her brown curls. If Uma was going to get any answers, she had to do this carefully.

"Did you know me on the Isle?" The princess asked curiously, and Uma had to take a step back.

"W-why do you ask?"

Queenie smiled and let out a small, humourless giggle. "I just wanna know." She shrugged, as if it was the simplest answer she could have given.

Uma swallowed and attempted to collect herself, warily approaching the bed. She'd grown from something to nothing, had been bullied by someone she once considered a friend, lived in her mother's shadow, won herself a ship and then built herself a pirate crew. She'd been through so much in only sixteen years and she'd long since settled on the fact that nothing scared her anymore. Now, however, she realised she wasn't scared, but she was unsettled. Queenie's head had been toyed with, to what extent Uma had no idea, but for all she knew her friend was a ticking time bomb. It was only a matter of time before she exploded and Uma did not want to be in the line of fire when that happened.

"Don't lie to me, either." Queenie said suddenly. "I can tell when people are lying."

"I don't doubt that." Uma said, attempting to remain calm and neutral as she brought her friend back from wherever she'd gone. "I did know you." She finally confirmed. Uma wasn't sure if she was making the right decision, but it very well may have been the only one to make. No one was going to tell her or Harry what had happened to Queenie, the only one who knew was Jay and he didn't seem too eager to share his knowledge with her. All Uma could do was tell Queenie little things, give her a small taste, and then help the girl figure the rest out alone.

"How well?" Queenie pressed.

"Q'," Uma sighed, lightly shaking her head. She had to explain things to Queenie in a way that wouldn't set off her already fragile mind. They had no idea what had been done to Queenie, and until Uma knew what it was she couldn't say too much.

"Tell me!" The brown-haired girl yelled, her small hands grabbing one of the nearest books and launching it towards the wall.

Uma didn't jump or gasp, she didn't even flinch. Her first-mate and closest friend was one of the most temperamental people on the Isle, often trashing his bedroom or wherever he was when he felt like it, and his temper greatly outweighed Queenie's. Uma was in no way about to get fidgety because the princess was having a tantrum, no matter the circumstance.

"Oh my gosh." Queenie gasped quietly, her wide eyes watering as she covered her face. "I'm sorry." She said quietly. "I-I don't know why I did that. I don't know what's going on with me, Uma. I'm so angry." She admitted, holding her pendant in her right hand.

"Don't apologise, Q'. I don't know what you're going through, but I'll try and help." Uma assured, feeling a little out of place. Her crew were the worst, never crying or breaking down in such a way. Ava didn't even get as sad as this, she was always happy and carefree, so Uma didn't ever have to worry about calming her down. She wasn't used to this, not with other girls anyway.

"You'll help me?" Queenie wondered with obvious confusion.

"Yeah, but you have to do something for me." Uma stated, leaning back onto her palms.

"What's that?" The princess inquired, eyes narrowed with suspicion and worry.

"You need to stop avoiding Harry." When Queenie opened her mouth to object to Uma's words, the teal-haired girl raised a hand to silence her friend. "Don't give me shit about it, I'm not an idiot. You have to let him in, Q'. I didn't know you that well, you always spent time with Harry on the Isle. He knows you better than you know yourself. If I'm going to help you figure all this shit out, you have to let him help too."

Queenie sighed and looked down, quickly brushing away a few unshed tears. "I don't know him." She muttered.

"But you do, don't you?" Uma said knowingly. "He's my best friend, you know. I'd do anything for him, and he'd do anything for me. That's why I'm helping you now. You and Harry had something back on the Isle, something big. He didn't tell me everything but I don't need to know too much. What I do know is that he's going insane without you around, and you can't sit here and tell me that not one part of you misses him when he isn't here."

Queenie took a long, deep breath and focussed. All the emotions she'd tried to keep at bay, she now let in. She didn't want to say that Uma was right, that when Harry wasn't around she was completely content. She wouldn't, even though her entire form was telling her otherwise. Even in the day when she was in class, listening to the teacher or writing down notes, her thoughts eventually strayed to what the first-mate was doing. When she was eating in the cafeteria, she silently attempting to search him out, an unknown part of her needing to know where he was at all times. The night's were the worst, when she was laying in bed alone, staring up at the ceiling as she tried so hard to lull herself into a comfortable sleep that wouldn't come for at least another two hours. He was her first thought when she woke, and the last before she slept. And she hated it.

"You agree to this and I'll help you." Uma spoke once more. "But if you tell me that you can't stand to be around him, I'll happily let you figure all this out on your own, and watch you go crazy trying to suss it all out."

There it was, the Isle side of Uma rearing its ugly head. Queenie always knew it'd been there, either hiding or just sleeping, but now she was seeing it. What worried her more was that she wasn't surprised by it at all, in fact she found it easier to bare than when Uma was being nice. "Okay, I'll do it." She finally agreed.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Hi guys! Just me! First of all, I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I usually post every few days, but obviously the Christmas rush is manic and overwhelming and I do have two little girls that come before all of this, which is why you'll usually find that my updates happen late at night. I am dedicated to this story though and I will be seeing it through to the end.**

 **Anyway, big thank you to all who've reviewed, followed and favourited. I know this chapter didn't have any Queenie/Harry, but there will be a lot more moments with those two in future chapters.**

 **Anyway, please leave a review or give me PM to let me know what you think. Thanks guys! Any typos will be removed once I've read everything through.**


	7. Chapter 7

Jay sat straight in the wooden chair, his arms crossed firmly against his chest. He took a quick glance at the clock on the wall and sighed impatiently, tapping his boot-clad food against the well-polished floor. He'd gotten up an hour early just to talk to the headmistress, her assistant had reassured him that she wouldn't be any longer than ten minutes, and even though she still had two minutes left he felt the time was dragging painfully slow.

The former thief shuffled, becoming uncomfortable as the time went by. His talk with Harry hadn't flown from his mind, if anything it'd kept him awake all damn night. An overwhelming sensation of guilt had started in his chest and it just wouldn't go away. The thought that Queenie had really been in love with Harry when she came to him for help had him reeling, more so the fact that he'd completely failed as a friend when he'd promised to keep her safe. Jay didn't know Harry all that well, he only even knew of the pirate because of Mal's reigning feud with Uma during their time on the Isle, otherwise he was sure he'd have never spoken to the teen before that. All he really knew was that Harry was possessive, violent and slightly sadistic. After all, the first-mate had never shown himself to be anything other than all of those things. But maybe, and it was a very small maybe, Harry could also be something other than that. There was a very small chance that behind closed doors, Harry was a completely different person. He had to be.

"Good morning, Jay!" A feminine voice greeted cheerfully.

Jay jumped up and looked over his shoulder. His thoughts of Queenie and Harry had completely taken him somewhere else, he'd been thinking so hard he'd actually forgotten where he was. "Uh...hey." He waved awkwardly, fighting the urge to face-palm himself.

"Oh my goodness." The fairy gasped, both hands against her cheeks as she settled behind her desk. "What happened?"

"I got a little rough at Tourney practice." Jay shrugged with a small chuckle. His little argument with Harry had left him with a large and purple bruise across his forehead. He'd kept an ice-pack on it the night before in the hopes it would settle, but from the fairy's reaction he now knew it hadn't helped one bit.

"Well, I advise you to see the nurse after this." F.G. said firmly, and Jay nodded. "Now, why are you here?"

"It's about Queenie."

Fairy Godmother nodded slowly, though Jay could see her form change. Before she'd been rather light on her feet, and when she sat she practically melted into the leather chair. Now she sat as straight as he did, her form tense and her lips pursed. "Is the little dear all right?" She asked.

"No, I don't think so. She's been spending time with Harry. I mean...I haven't seen them together, but I just know. Harry came to see me yesterday, he wants to know why Q' doesn't remember him. He's mad." Jay explained.

"Well, this was expected. Mr. Hook is quite like a young, ill-tempered child. In his mind we've taken his toy away, so to speak. He's not very happy now but, in time, he'll forget all about her. Is there anything else?" F.G. inquired.

Jay swallowed and lightly scratched his cheek. This conversation was going to be much harder than he originally thought. "Yeah. I think Harry loves her." He said his words carefully, allowing the fairy some time to digest. "And I think she loves him too. Or she did, I don't know how this whole thing works."

"We've had this discussion, Jay." F.G. finally spoke, her tone light and cheery thought her eyes told him different. "It was not love, it was infatuation."

"I know, I know. But I think you're wrong." He admitted, his stomach churning as he saw the woman's expression change. Clearly she'd never been wrong, or been told she was, and he now realised just how dangerous this entire situation could become. He was sure F.G. would give Queenie her memories back if he told her the princess had been in love with Harry, but now he wasn't so sure. "She left him a note when I brought her here, saying that as soon as she was better she was going back to the Isle. Why would she do that if she was scared of him?" He continued, hoping to get through to the headmistress.

"We'll never understand why someone does silly things. Clearly she was so scared that the thought of not going back was too much of a risk. She didn't know we could keep her safe. It wasn't love, Jay, it couldn't have been." The woman was clearly struggling with what he was telling her, and Jay found himself utterly baffled. Was it really so hard for her to accept that she was wrong about this?

"But what if they were? Are you telling me that two teenagers, both brought up in an abusive and fight-or-flight world, can't love each other?" Jay wondered, leaning forward in his chair as he eagerly awaited the fairy's reply. People in Auradon had their judgements about the Isle and that was fine, but no one could say that certain important things couldn't happen over there. All of the stories of peoples parents in Auradon had all been impossible situations, filled with magic and complete idiocy at times, and now F.G. was trying to insinuate that Isle children couldn't fall in love. He'd heard some ridiculous things since arriving, but this had to be the worst.

"What are Queenie's thoughts on this matter?" Fairy Godmother demanded, too eager to change the subject. "Does she want her memories back? If she doesn't come to me and demand answers herself, then I'll hear no more of this."

Jay's brows immediately furrowed, his arms moving to his sides as he clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly. He had no idea what Queenie was doing, or if she even thought anything was wrong. He liked to think that if something was going on, then she'd have come to him first, but if Harry was right and she had a small idea that he was a part of this, then there was no way she'd trust him again. "You're kidding, right? Queenie knows you've been going through her head, and I've been there every damn time. If she does want to remember, there's no way she's coming to either of us for help." He said firmly.

"I'll hold a council meeting, if they decide that having her memories restored is the best option, then I'll do it." Fairy Godmother sighed, her hands fiddling with random objects on the desk. She was either agitated, or worried.

"And what if they say otherwise?" He asked, albeit with some hesitation. He was terrified of the answer.

"Then I won't do it. That young girl has been through enough, and she deserves a wonderful prince to fall in love with. Not Mr. Hook."

~...~...~

"I don't mean to sound like an ass, but what the hell am I doing here?" Queenie demanded, sternly placing both hands on her hips.

"You want your memories back, don't you?" Uma countered with a shrug, and the young princess rolled her eyes. "That's why we're here."

Queenie took a deep, hard breath and released it slowly, turning to better see their surroundings. They were supposed to be in class, but Uma had shown up at least twenty minutes before the day started and told Queenie she had a plan, and that it in no way involved going to their lesson. At first the girl had been intrigued, but now she was just plain irritated. Uma had been very quiet on their way, apparently she wasn't too eager to divulge the reason for their journey, or even what they'd be doing when they arrived. Queenie hated it immensely. Her nerves were frazzled enough, what with her forgetting six months of her time in Auradon and sudden inability to trust any of her friends. She didn't trust Uma completely, and the teal-haired girl's silence and mysterious ways were not helping. Queenie had to remind herself that while she considered Uma a friend, she had absolutely no idea what the girl had been like back on the Isle. Uma was the Captain of a terrifying pirate crew, and she was the daughter of a very sneaky sea witch, so Queenie felt she was justified in having her doubts.

"How is dragging me into the Enchanted Woods going to help? What, do you expect me to take a swim in the lake and wash everything away?" Queenie asked with obvious sarcasm.

"You asked for my help, so I'm helping. But we have to do this first." Uma replied, leaning against the broken, stone pillar.

Queenie took a step back, her arms moving across her stomach. "Do what first?" She wondered, her right hand fiddling with her pendant.

"I'm not telling you anything, not until he gets here." Uma said firmly, her eyes flickering to the surrounding woods.

"Until who gets here?" Queenie asked with furrowed brows. Uma didn't answer, her attentions apparently elsewhere. "Uma." The princess seethed.

When Uma smiled and her eyes moved to something behind Queenie, the young princess felt a sudden twist in her stomach. She moved to turn around and see whoever it was that was making the Captain look so smug, but she barely had a chance. In a matter of seconds, Queenie was yanked back so fast she had to take a gasp of air, a small force knocking into her back and startling the young princess. A sharp, uncomfortable and unknown object poked her ribs, and she felt a cold steel against her jugular. Queenie held her breath for a moment, completely confused as to who was behind her. It wasn't until the person made no attempt to move and she felt herself resolve just a fraction did she fully attempt to suss out who had decided to invade her personal space.

"Harry." Queenie muttered with realisation. She had no idea how she even knew it was him, it could have been Gil or even Jonas. All three pirates were quite tall in stature and muscled, so she knew full well it wouldn't have been one of the girls on Uma's crew. Her shoulders were firmly pressed against a hard chest, and that had been enough to let her know it was one of the boys. It wasn't any kind of physical tell for her to know it was the first-mate, in this scenario she'd relied mainly on her emotional state. Queenie had been anxious enough when arriving, having a large fear of drowning and the lake was no help, but now it had peaked. Her palms were clammy, a shiver took over her small form and she wanted to be sick. All good things when faced with a dangerous and unpredictable moment. What gave him away, however, was the strange pull she felt in her chest, the weirdest thing only he had seemed to bring out in her since arriving, but it helped her now.

"Princess." The first-mate greeted with a chuckle, his chest rumbling behind her.

Queenie let herself suck in a breath, a wave of relief taking hold as she felt him move away. She wasn't too sure what it was, but there was something inside of her that really couldn't stand the thought of him being behind her, or out of her sight. As if the very idea of him being near, but not close enough for her to keep an eye on him, set her on edge. For now she'd assume it was because of everything he'd made her feel since coming to Auradon, or simply because she had an idea that they'd met before but she had no inkling as to why or how it had gone down. After all, what other reason would there be?

"Captain." Harry nodded towards the teal-haired girl, moving to stand closer to Uma. In Queenie's opinion it was strangely close, and just a little protective.

"Are you going to tell me why I'm here now?" Queenie asked once more, hoping there would be no more surprises from her friend.

"You want your memories back, I get that. But you can't let us help you if you don't trust us." Uma explained.

Queenie let out a small, and slightly forced, giggle of amusement. "Uma, you're my friend. I've told you things no one else knows. How can you think that I don't trust you?" She asked.

"You're right." Uma shrugged, dragging herself away from the pillar, Harry coming in close behind. "You have told me things...in the moment. I could have been anyone, as long as I got to you when you were tipping right over the edge, you would have told me. That doesn't mean trust, Q'. If you can't trust me, or Harry, with everything then we can't help you. You can't just be half-in, not with this, this is something big. Your _memories_ , Q'. If you can stand there and tell me that you trust us completely, we'll go back to school. Don't lie to me either, I can tell if you're lying too y'know."

Queenie swallowed, her throat suddenly becoming increasingly dry. On instinct her hand reached for her pendant, her fingers soothingly moving across the red gem in the hopes it would make her find some strength. She knew the answer to Uma's question already, it was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Q', it's okay if you don't. I won't hurt you if you don't trust us, hell, I'd really judge you if you did. We knew each other back on the Isle, but we weren't friends, not even close. The girl we know," Uma gestured between herself and Harry. "Is in there somewhere. We need her to answer."

"I," Queenie paused. She looked at Uma, then Harry, then back to her friend. The girl was right, Queenie would have broken down and told anyone her personal problems if they'd come to her at the right time. It was a stupid move back on the Isle, but here in Auradon people were easier to trust. She had to remind herself, though, that not everyone in Auradon were good people. Some were just nasty, born to two wonderful people but raised in a privileged world where their opinion was the right one and no one else stood a chance. Auradon really had to re-define their specifics on what was good, and what was evil.

"Love." Queenie turned her attention back to the first-mate. "Do you trus' me?" He asked, loud and clear.

Queenie squinted, her hazel eyes searching his face and movements. His smile was kind and his form relaxed, the hook he held so dear to him hanging down near his thigh. A sword, she'd now realised he'd had pressed against her side only moments ago, had been sheathed around his waist, and she now saw that he had another on the opposite side. The body spoke volumes when the voice was silent, and though Harry's demeanour was calm, and he looked like someone she could easily trust herself to be around, there was something else there. Queenie tilted her head slightly, attempting to focus more on the less obvious. In the end, it was his eyes that told the truth. The way they crinkled around the edges showed that he was looking at her in much the same way, with suspicion and slight curiousness. When she looked harder, she could see the way his jaw moved as he smiled, as if the way he did so now was not comfortable for him. With each passing second Queenie noted more tells, the way his hooked hand twitched ever so slightly, how his other hand moved to the grip of his sword.

Queenie giggled once more, a nervous reaction to what she'd come to realise. Harry was playing pretend with her. He was very good at putting the veil up, apparently, since she wouldn't have noticed if he'd been anyone else, or she hadn't taken the time to nit-pic. She'd only known the pirate for a few days, not long enough to truly get to know someone. In the back of her mind, however, she knew full well that this wasn't the 'real' Harry. Uma had said that inside her was the girl they knew, and even if Queenie didn't know what that girl knew, she could feel what that part of her felt now.

"I'm not sure." Queenie finally said, crossing her arms across her chest. "But she," Queenie lifted a finger, lightly tapping her temple. "Definitely doesn't."

Harry laughed loudly and dropped the act almost immediately. He slowly skipped backwards and took up the space Uma had previously resided in, his back slouched against the pillar with his legs stretched out in front of him. He was still smiling now, but it wasn't as it had been before. Now it seemed to be a smirk, the corners of his mouth twitched up as if the whole occasion was a complete joke to him.

"I'm impressed." Uma admitted, giving a light chuckle. "I didn't think you'd be able to tell us that. But it was a good thing, Q'. You took that first step."

"Thanks." Queenie uttered shyly. It would definitely take some getting used to, having to rely on the emotions and warnings of someone else whenever she was around people from the Isle. Her mind was still muddled, overwhelmed at the thought of losing some very valuable memories, but for the time being she had to rely on herself. She knew well enough that, whenever she did get her memories back, they'd begin to counteract with the ones she currently held. It would be messy and terrifying and it would go a lot smoother if she didn't try to fight that hidden Isle girl inside of her. If she was going to go all the way with this, then she had to let her in.

"Don't get too excited, we're not done yet." Uma warned, and Queenie stiffened slightly.

"What?"

"You don't trust me, and that's fine. I have to admit, you're a good person to have around, but all I've really been doing is holding the fort until Harry came. You two knew each other better, and I have enough going on. I can't help all the time, but he can. Besides, he only came to Auradon to get you." The sea-witch's daughter explained.

The young princess chewed her bottom lip in thought. She was obviously confused, she had no idea why Harry would come all this way for her. The person inside her was saying differently. She was absolutely elated, and it aggravated Queenie in a way nothing else had before. "Great." She said with feigned enthusiasm.

"Well I'm not exactly jumpin' ta spend time with ye either, princess." Harry fired. "I came here for _my_ princess, an' instead I get ye."

"Harry!" Uma reprimanded.

"No, no I get it." Queenie said clearly. She was a little hurt by Harry's words, but she was also incredibly angry. She didn't know if it was the girl inside her that was so annoyed with him, or if it was just her. It very well may have been because her temper had been spiking lately and now Harry was taking shots. Queenie was frustrated beyond belief, she couldn't remember six months of her life and now she was trying to feel the emotions of, in her own opinion, two different girls. She had no idea what she'd been like on the Isle, but she was in no way ready to let Harry think this was worse for him than it was for her. "You're frustrated, I get that."

"Oh, ye have no bloody idea how frustrated I am!" Harry exclaimed, tilting his head to the left. "I come all this way to get my little one back, an' instead I fin' ye, some prissy little girl on some stupid quest to get her noggin back together."

"Are you always this much of an asshole?!" Queenie yelled with slight astonishment. She hadn't ever had to yell at someone before, at least not like this. She felt outraged. He was treating her as if she was some stranger he had to deal with until he could get his 'girlfriend' back and she was not having it.

"Q' you need to calm down." Uma soothed with a tone Queenie hadn't ever really heard her use.

"Oh no, let 'er continue." Harry mocked, moving away from the pillar to approach the princess. "I've been waitin' ta see somethin' other than a little sheep who follows everyone aroun'. I mean, really? Don' ye have anythin' better ta do?"

That was it. The straw that broke the camels back. In a matter of minutes Queenie didn't quite feel like herself anymore. She was seething, utterly overwhelmed with so much sadness, annoyance and complete anger towards the stuck-up pirate. "That's it!" Queenie shouted. With a strange, growing strength she hadn't ever realised she had, she pushed Harry right back into the pillar he seemed to like leaning against so much.

"Q'!"

"No!" Queenie said back, staring up and into Harry's eyes. "I'm only gonna say this once, Hook. You want her, I get that, but if you don't want me then you can't have her either, understand?! This is my body too. When my memories come back, and they will, I'm still going to be here and if you keep treating me like crap then I'm going to keep her far away from you. I don't know what we had on the Isle, I can't even understand how we had anything with you acting like such an asshole. I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this for me and her. We want you here...god, we really want you here. But we don't _need_ you here. I can do this shit on my own if I have to, I'm not going to kiss your ass just to keep you around. Got it?!" By the time she finished her rant, Queenie felt somewhat content. It was if a huge weight had been lifted, and if anything her reigning feelings of sadness and anxiousness had calmed down just a little.

"Well shit." Queenie heard Uma laugh from behind her.

Harry threw his head back and Queenie finally released the harsh grip she'd had on his t-shirt. Her hands were shaking, her heart practically pounding out of her chest as she came down from the anger-fuelled high she'd just endured. Something else gripped at her chest, something worse than anger. Complete and utter fear. Fear of whatever she'd just felt, as she'd never felt that bad before, but mostly it was fear over what she'd done to Harry. For the first time both she and the girl inside of her were going through the exact same thing, only now it was heightened more than ever. The first-mate towered over her and he could easily take her down, he also had both his sword and hook at hand if he did decide to turn on her.

Queenie ran her fingers through her hair, having left it down during her rush to leave with Uma, and lightly tugged. She felt like such an idiot. "Oh my god." She whined. She'd thought her small snap at Uma the night before was bad, but compared to this that moment was nothing more than a back-handed remark. "Oh my god." She said again, more of a whisper than anything else.

"Oh I missed that sneaky little temper of yers."

Queenie turned back to Harry, completely befuddled at his reaction. He wasn't mad, as she'd originally thought he'd be. If anything he looked rather excited by it all. Maybe he was crazy. "Huh?" She muttered.

"I really wasn' sure if ye'd take the bait or not, but I'm glad ye did."

Queenie gaped, her mouth opening and closing as if she were a very confused fish. "You knew I'd fight back!" She exclaimed in realisation and slight annoyance.

"I was hopin' ye would, love." Harry grinned. He slowly ran his gaze over Queenie's form as he came closer, and the young princess struggled to stay rooted in her spot. "I always did like the feisty ones." He muttered, dragging his hook through her hair.

"Is that why you brought me here?" Queenie asked Uma, ignoring the first-mates hungry gaze to turn to her 'friend'. "So Harry could get a rise? If that's why I'm here, then I'm leaving." She stated.

"I didn't bring you here for that, Q'." Uma said loudly, and the princess halted in her tracks. "You and Harry have some unresolved issues." She continued, and Queenie finally turned to face her again. "That needs fixing first."

"I need my memories back, Uma. I'm going crazy, okay? And it won't stop either." Queenie sighed despairingly, lightly rubbing her arms as a breeze came through the forest.

"Q', you're not listening to me. You can't trust him and I don't blame you, I only know half of what you two were like and honestly I'm surprised you didn't run." Uma confessed, and Queenie shuffled her feet. "I'm asking you to get to know him now, as _you._ When we get your memories back I don't know what'll happen, but what do you think you'll be like if part of you can't stand to be around him, and another part of you wants him around all the time? I don't know about you but that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. He's only asking for a chance, Q'. Can you do that?"

Queenie took a moment to gather her thoughts. Uma was asking a lot of her, but wasn't she herself doing the same thing? She'd broken down and told Uma almost everything that was wrong and more, and had even gone as far as to ask the sea witch's daughter for help in getting her memories back. The princess liked to pay attention to detail and, if she was right, then she and Uma hadn't exactly been friends back on the Isle. So while Queenie was a little hurt by the girls admission that she had only done most, if not all, of this for Harry, it really made Queenie think. Harry may have had his own reasons for helping her, and maybe they were a little twisted, but Uma was being a wonderful friend to him for even attempting a friendship with Queenie. Two people that she barely knew were going out of their way to help her, and she was fighting it. Whoever they knew, whoever she had been back on the Isle, must have been a wonderful kind of girl to have two pirates helping her out, and the least she could do was accept it.

"Okay, I'll do it." Queenie relented with a nod.

"Good." Uma smiled with some relief, then glancing back at her first mate with mischief in her eyes. "Training starts now."

"Uh...what?" Queenie asked, staring awkwardly at her friend.

"Harry here, is gonna teach you how to sword-fight." Uma declared proudly.

Queenie widened her eyes with disbelief and looked back at the first-mate. He stepped away from the pillar with an excited smile, biting into his bottom lip as he withdrew his sword. He swung it in his hands gracefully as he stared her down, and Queenie shook her head. "Oh hell no." She muttered.

"Think of it as a bonding exercise." Uma spoke. "He'll go easy on you. Won't you Harry?"

"Of course." He replied light-heartedly, as if his tone was a soothing one.

"Uma, he looks way too excited to hurt me." Queenie pointed out, her anxiety peaking at the thought of having to fight with Harry. It may have just been training, but even she could see that he was way too eager to do all of this.

"Of course he is! You left him on the Isle." Uma shrugged, moving a few feet away to sit down on a nearby tree stump. "I'll be right here, so if he gets too...'Harry', I'll come to your rescue."

"Fine." Queenie spat, reluctantly walking towards the overly-enthusiastic pirate. "If he tries to kill me it's on you." She said back to Uma, pushing all of her worrying thoughts to the back of her mind. She hoped that by doing this, Harry would treat her with just a shred of dignity, and maybe stop fucking with her. Though she also knew that it was just wishful thinking.

"As temptin' as that sounds, seein' ye with a sword has always been a little fantasy of mine." Harry said simply, handing her the other sword he'd brought with him.

Queenie took it and just about managed to keep a tight enough grip. The weight was strange, a little heavier than anything she was used to, but maybe she'd adjust to it. "You flirt like that with everyone, or am I just a special?" She remarked, moving the sword from one hand to the other.

Harry chuckled and moved back. "Oh love, ye've got a lot ta learn about me."

Queenie rolled her eyes. She may have wanted to kiss him once, but now she was determined. She was going to kick his ass.

~...~...~

Ava hummed a small tune to herself as she skipped towards her locker, rolling the dial until she heard that satisfying 'click'. She tucked a long, curled strand of red hair behind her ear and set on switching her books, eager to get to her next class.

"So," An irritating, familiar voice sang from close by. "Where's your girlfriend?"

"I don't know who you're talking about." Ava replied, hurrying her movements even more now that the pestering fairy had made an appearance.

"You know exactly who I'm talking about." Thalia shrugged, leaning against the closed locker right next to Ava's.

"I have two friends that are girls, Uma and Queenie. Take your pick." Ava sighed, gently closing and re-locking her locker when she finished her switch. She held the book close to her chest, as if it would protect her from the daughter of Tinkerbell.

"Oh, I'm not worried about Queenie. She's good, like the rest of us. Your little pirate friend is the one I'm talking about. I heard she hasn't been in classes all morning." Thalia said with a small, smug smirk.

Ava swallowed nervously and averted her eyes. She moved to the left and walked by the fairy, attempting to ignore whatever it was the girl was trying to start. Talking to her wouldn't settle anything, and Ava knew that when faced with a fight or argument, it was best to simply avoid confrontation. At least, that was what the Goodness book instructed them to do.

"You wanna avoid that question? Okay, how about another one?" Thalia continued, following close behind the little mermaid. "How would your mom feel if she knew you were hanging out with Ursula's daughter? I mean, talk about betrayal."

"I don't think she'd mind." Ava said meekly, wishing as hard as she could that the fairy would just let her be. It was hard enough to deal with her in 'Therapy', and Ava knew that it would be a whole different ball game if she was harassing her outside of that class. Especially when there were no teachers to overhear.

"Really?" Thalia gasped with anger, hushing her tone. "If it was my mom, and Harry Hook tried to be friends, I'd tell him exactly where to go. You're not being a very good daughter, are you?"

Ava lifted her gaze from the floor and looked around. There were a lot of students heading towards their next class, but none seemed too concerned about what was going on with her. She hadn't seen Queenie or Uma all morning, and without them she knew she had no one to run to, and no one to help her.

"I've seen the way she looks at you, y'know." Thalia suddenly said, and Ava furrowed her brows in confusion. The fairy was clearly trying to get a rise out of her in some way, trying to make her bite back. But Ava wouldn't. She wouldn't give her the satisfaction, but it was also from fear that she didn't reply.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ava said back, a part of her hoping her naivety would get her out of this mess. She knew Thalia was talking about Uma, and though she was a little confused on where the fairy was trying to take their conversation, she didn't want to dig herself into an even deeper hole.

Thalia laughed. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. She looks at you like Jay looks at every girl here. It's not normal." The fairy said firmly.

Ava nodded and attempted to ignore the small flutter in her stomach. Uma was a wonderful friend, and even though it took a little stalking and pestering to get them there, they now seemed to get on like a house on fire. What worried Ava more was that small, nervous tingling she felt whenever the VK made an appearance. Ava knew she was sometimes a little overbearing when it came to people she liked, but she couldn't help it, it was just the way she was. When she was around Uma, however, things were a little...different. The VK was dry with her humour, a little too honest at times and completely careless of what anyone else was doing, but it was all a part of what made her amazing. She was herself and she wasn't trying to be anyone else. She stayed true to herself, so whatever dress she wore or how she did her hair in the morning had to effect whatsoever, it was her personality that mattered, and Ava was in complete awe at the pirate's strength, especially after everything that had happened at the Cotillion. Ava didn't completely know what she felt when she was around Uma, she'd never felt it before, so how on earth could she try and understand it? It couldn't have been a crush, girls didn't crush on girls and everyone in Auradon knew that. But Ava had overheard a few girls gushing about Jay, and how he made them feel when he talked to them, and the end-game was all too similar for Ava not to be a little concerned about it.

"Then again," Thalia continued, her lips pursed as she thought. "Things are a little messed up over on the Isle, maybe they think that stuff's normal."

"Why are you so against the transfers being here?" Ava wondered. She knew she should have kept her mouth shut, but the fairy was really starting to irritate her, and the last thing Ava needed was Thalia spreading rumours about her that simply weren't true.

"They're changing everything, Ava. That doesn't worry you? I know it scares the hell out of me. Union Day is coming up soon, and what are we gonna do? Do we have to stop celebrating just because the Villains might get hurt by it? It's so stupid." The fairy ranted, waving her hands about. "Pirates are the worst. They're greedy and selfish and all they want is power."

"Mal changed, and so did the others. What makes you think pirates can't?" Ava pointed out, hurrying her steps slightly in an effort to end this conversation as soon as possible.

"You're such an idiot, Ava. Pirate's don't change. My mother taught me that, and she's dealt with them first-hand."

"One." Ava muttered quietly, though somehow through the loud talking of others, Thalia heard.

"What?!" She demanded, gripping the mermaid's arm.

Ava stopped, albeit with some reluctance, and turned. "Your mom had an issue with one pirate. That doesn't mean they're all the same." She explained, moving to continue her walk...again.

"You're so stupid." Thalia groaned. Ava ignored the sting she felt at the fairy's words, having heard them one too many times for it to effect her in such a drastic way anymore. "You saw what happened at Cotillion, are you really telling me that Uma's good?" She inquired with utter surprise.

"I'm not saying they're good, Thalia." Ava sighed, attempting to keep the peace. "Maybe they're somewhere in the middle." She offered, only to be replied with a loud scoff.

"There is no 'in-the-middle'. You're either good or bad, no in between."

Ava stayed quiet, feeling rather elated as she spotted her classroom door. All she had to do was get a few more steps ahead, and the conversation would be over. Maybe afterwards she could find Uma or Queenie.

"Ava!" Thalia called. The little mermaid's shoulders sagged, and she turned around. "You're either with us, or against us. If you're with us, you'll stop hanging out with those stupid pirates. But if you're against us...well, you know how much power fairies have." And with that, Thalia strutted her way down the hall, heading wherever it was she had to go.

Ava sniffled and walked into the class, taking her place in her usual seat. She stared out the window with her chin resting in her hand, feeling slightly nauseous at the threat the fairy had left her with. She had to make her mind up. She couldn't bother Uma with this, and Queenie seemed to be having her own problems. All she could do was deal with it herself, and hope the consequences weren't too severe.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Hello my wonderful readers! Big thank you to all who've reviewed, followed, and favourited. I really hope you guys had a good Christmas and New Year!**

 **Anyway, I thought it important to have a little POV from Ava, since we know how Uma feels about her, but not how Ava feels about Uma. Obviously she's been brought up in a certain world, so things are going to be a little confusing for her in regards to the Captain. Also, Queenie's training with Harry will have a bigger plan involved, so I hope you guys stick around for that.**

 **Anyway, remember to review or PM to let me know what you think about this chapter. Thanks! Any typo's will be fixed once I've re-read through the chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

"I can't do it."

"Please, no one else can help me."

"Jay, do you have any idea what you're asking me to do?" The blue-haired girl stressed, keeping her voice hushed to avoid anyone overhearing their conversation.

Jay gulped and gave her a small nod. "I know how bad this is, Evie." He said. "But this is Queenie we're talking about, not some random stranger. We left her on the Isle, she was closer to me but I know you got to know her too. Mal's busy with all this 'princess' crap and Carlos barely knew Q'. You're the only one."

Evie took a deep, soothing breath and turned her head, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth as she attempted to think. Jay was right. She had got to know Queenie back on the Isle, quite well in fact. The old thief had even admitted how nervous he was to bring Queenie around the Evil Queen's daughter, what with them both being princess's. He'd really had nothing to worry about. Evie was a wonderful princess, both in appearance and, despite her slightly wicked ways, personality. Mal had taken absolutely no interest in fashion, make-up or how to act proper in court, but Queenie had. They hadn't been the best of friends, but they had been friends in some way, and though the Princess of Hearts had been closer to Jay, she really had managed to sneak her way into Evie's heart.

"Please Evie, I'm going crazy trying to do this on my own." Jay pleaded, a sullen expression on his face. He was exhausted, and he wasn't going to be too proud to admit he needed his friends help.

"Why can't you speak to her yourself?" Evie inquired, crossing her arms.

"She may or may not be hiding from me."

"Why's that?"

Jay winced. "I can't...exactly...tell you?" He sighed, then attempting to persuade the girl as she rolled her eyes in annoyance. "But it's important, I swear."

"If it's _that_ important, then you can tell me." Evie demanded with raised brows. He hadn't given her much to go on in ways of information. All he'd told her was that it involved her talking to Queenie or, to be more specific, getting the girl away from Harry. The blue-haired teen hadn't forgotten everything about the Isle, and the first thing that stuck out in her mind was what happened when they saw Harry with Queenie. He'd treated her like a child...an object, even, something to be owned. What was worse was Queenie's state when Evie had seen her. How focussed she was on the pirate, how she wouldn't even talk to them without his say-so. Like a little puppy.

"This is bigger than anything, Evie. If I tell you, it could risk everything you have now. Your fashion, Doug, your friends; Everything. You don't want to know what I know." Jay pressed, lightly shaking his head.

Evie's brows furrowed with worry. The Core-Four hadn't exactly been the 'Core-Four' in a while now. Mal was busy learning to be a woman of the court, Carlos spent nearly all of his time with Jane and Dude, she herself had been occupied with her designs and helping Dizzy over in Cinderellasberg, and Jay was always with the tourney team. They'd drifted, but she liked to think that if they ever needed help, they'd come straight back together again, like an elastic effect. But while she really wanted to help Jay, her stubbornness was getting in the way, and she was dead-set on knowing everything that was going on. The thought of losing everything terrified her more than anything in the world, but they all owed Queenie in some way and after seeing her back on the Isle, she knew she had to help. If she was going to do it, then she'd have to know what Jay currently knew, no matter how distressing the consequences were.

"Whatever's going on with Queenie, how bad is it?" Evie asked.

"Terrible. It could rip her mind to pieces, Evie." Jay muttered, looking back over his shoulder.

"I'll help you." Evie stated, and Jay's eyes widened with relief. "If you tell me everything." She added afterwards, ignoring the way his shoulders slumped in utter defeat.

"I can't tell you." Jay said, holding up a finger as the girl opened her mouth to object. "But I can show you."

~...~...~

Queenie closed her eyes and inhaled, taking a long, deep breath of the salty ocean air. It hadn't been too long since she'd come to her current destination, but to her it felt like months. Despite having no strong desire to perch at the edge of the pier anymore, it had been her best place to think once, and she needed it now more than ever.

The young princess winced as she fidgeted, crossing her legs. She wasn't a big fan of long jeans, mostly preferring dresses to move around in the hot Auradon weather, but Harry's training had put an almost instant stop to that. Queenie had more bruises than she would ever care to admit, some small and yellow, while very few were rather large and purple, tender to the touch. They were scattered along her body, on her arms and legs mostly, though she did have a rather gruesome mark between her shoulder blades, having been knocked down to the stone floor of the pillar one-too-many times. She also knew full well that if she had gone straight there instead of coming to the pier, she would most likely be in that position again. It wasn't one she was fond of, and she was determined to stay away until she'd healed.

Queenie still wasn't too sure how she felt about Harry. She knew that somewhere deep inside of her, there was a girl she didn't know that craved his presence almost constantly, as if she had to know his whereabouts to even function throughout the day. Queenie knew that this was the girl that remembered the Isle, the one who'd had something with the psychotic pirate. However the only thing Queenie herself knew about Harry was how utterly ruthless he could be. Her training felt less like training and more like abuse. It'd only been four days, including the session where Uma had stayed to watch, and Queenie knew how naïve she'd been on that first day. Uma's presence had kept Harry in check, but what the Captain had failed to mention was that she wouldn't be attending every morning. It was a little piece of information that Queenie _should_ have been told.

On that first day of training, when Uma had told her that she and Harry had some 'issues' to sort out, she hadn't been kidding. As soon as Queenie had shown up the very next morning and found only Harry at the Enchanted Lake, he'd come in swinging; Literally. It seemed he'd really been holding back with Uma around and a small part of Queenie resented that fact. She'd have much rather he given it all to her on that first day, so that she at least had an idea of what she'd endure, but things just hadn't quite gone that way. The first-mate gave her a sword, but lacked with advice. All he seemed to do was put her down on her back, shooting his snide comments and insults and telling her to be 'quicker', 'stronger' and even 'less princess', though she had no idea what he meant by that last remark. Queenie didn't know why he was treating her so horribly, she had an idea from what Uma had told her but Harry simply refused to answer her questions. He avoided the subject completely, swinging his sword or hook to distract her whenever she felt rested enough to ask. He was slicing her confidence down to pieces and she could practically feel it.

Queenie opened her eyes, squinting momentarily as she watched the sun peak out over the horizon. She could see the Isle from where she sat, the grey storm-clouds that always stayed in one place, along with the glowing barrier surrounding the small Island. She found it strange, how small the Isle was when she thought of all the parts of Auradon she'd seen. Queenie hadn't been everywhere, hadn't even gone past the Woods, but she knew there was so much to be explored. The Isle had once seemed so big and terrifying to her, but compared to Auradon it was nothing, a mere fishbowl to an Ocean.

"Uma did say I'd find ye here."

Queenie released a small huff of annoyance, her peaceful moment now ruined by the pirate's appearance. "Why are you here, Harry?" She asked quietly.

"Haven't ye figured it out by now, love?" Harry chuckled, his heavy footsteps moving closer. "If ye don' come ta me, I come lookin' for ye." He was behind her now, she could feel his boots against her lower back.

"Did you know I'm terrified of water?" Queenie wondered, her head tilted in thought as his words slid from her mind. "I always have been. No one taught me to swim, not here and not on the Isle. I don't ever remember it being this intense though." The young princess swallowed, looking down at her fiddling hands. "When I first came to Auradon - well, when I remember coming to Auradon, I used to end up down here. Right at the edge. I was so damn scared of falling in, I used to cry and shake but I could never move away. Every night it happened, this stupid little voice in the back of my head dragging me straight here. I had no idea what was going on and I was too scared to tell anyone." She admitted.

"Is there a reason ye're pourin' yer heart out ta me, lass?" Harry sighed, his tone laced with boredom and slight irritation.

"I know why I used to come here now." Queenie continued, ignoring the small sting she felt at his apparent lack of interest in what she was saying. "It took me a while to figure out what I was looking at, but I know it was the Isle. And I know it was because you were there, and I was here, and there was absolutely no way for me to get to you." She took a breath and pushed back the sudden sadness that gripped her chest. "I know you're not training me, Harry." She said finally.

It was silent for a second. "I don' know what ye're talkin' about, love. I have been trainin' ye, it's not my fault ye can' handle it." He spoke.

Queenie tensed as she felt his fingers in her hair. She'd left it down lately, having needed something to cover the occasional bruise she wore on her face. "It's not training, Harry." She said, a little firmer this time. The digits that had been soothing the top of her head stopped, though they soon carried on, a little slower than they had been. "You're punishing me, aren't you?" It appeared to be a question, though they both knew it was a statement.

"Why would ye think that? Do ye think ye need ta be punished, princess?" Harry asked her.

"No." Queenie stated loudly, gnawing at her bottom lip.

Queenie cried out as the hand that had once been soothing her scalp so gently tightened, her thick, brown curls firmly grasped between Harry's fingers. He tugged her head back and she followed the motion, attempting to relieve any strain on her neck as she stared up at the pirate. He squatted down to her level, his eyes growing harder as he closed the distance.

"An' why's that then, eh?" He wondered mockingly, an unamused smirk tugging at his lips.

"I don't know what happened back on the Isle, but if how you're treating me now comes even close to how we were back there, then I'm not surprised I left. I don't deserve punishment from you because I didn't do anything wrong, asshole. I don't belong to you _._ " Queenie spat. She could feel the sadness, fear and guilt of the Isle girl inside of her, but her own feelings were overtaking all of that. She didn't know Harry, and she'd been putting her friendship with Jay on the line just to give him the benefit of the doubt. Yet here he was, treating her like she was nothing more than a plaything, like she was beneath him. It was immensely irritating and draining, and she wasn't going to take it any longer.

"Ye think ye're not mine, lass?" Harry asked, and Queenie swallowed nervously. His voice had deepened somehow, his face completely void of anything but anger. Now she was scared.

"I don't think it, Harry." Queenie found the strength to reply. She was terrified of what an angry Harry could do to her, but she also knew that she had to stand her ground. She couldn't keep letting him in, couldn't keep letting him push her over for the sake of the girl he used to know. Maybe if they were on the Isle she'd have relented, but they were in Auradon now. This was her turf, so to speak, and she wouldn't let him do whatever he wanted just because he felt as if she owed him something. "I know it." She finished.

Things went from bad to worse in what felt like seconds. One moment Queenie was sat down on the pier, her neck craned awkwardly at the grip the first-mate had in her hair, and the next she couldn't feel the floor beneath her. Harry had lifted her completely, his strong arms wrapped firmly around her waist as he heaved, walking them both closer towards the edge of the pier. Queenie felt an overwhelming sensation then, her fight-or-flight instincts kicking into high gear at the thought of Harry throwing her into the deep water. She kicked and squirmed as much as her bruised and exhausted form would allow, attempting anything to get him to just let her go. Nothing worked.

"Harry." She pleaded, her widened eyes frantically roaming across the open water. "Harry, please don't!" She yelled. Queenie wished hard in her mind that someone - anyone, would find them and put a stop to it, but she knew full well that everyone would be sleeping still. They were too far from the school, and no one was coming to save her.

"Ye're constantly askin' me ta tell ye things about the Isle, lass. So just this once, I'll give ye somethin'." He finally spoke, his voice low and close to her right ear. His breath fanned her cheek, and she fought against the part of her that so desperately wanted to turn her head. "Ye're scared of the water because I tried ta drown ye."

Queenie froze and Harry stopped. He'd put her right on the edge of the pier, her feet daringly close to the end. All it would take was one, small push. One push and she'd be facing her worst fear. "Why would you do that?" She asked him, her hands that had once been scratching at his skin now gripping hard at his forearms.

"Ye wanted ta go home to yer mum, begged me ta jus' let ye go. I took ye across the bridge an' I shoved ye into the water. I waited until ye stopped movin' an' fightin' an' then I dragged ye out, brought ye back around. I put myself out ta save ye lass, I taught ye how to be stronger. Ye don' get ta leave me." He whispered menacingly.

"That still doesn't mean you own me, Harry." Queenie pointed out, her unwillingness to surrender overriding her utter fear of sinking to the bottom of the ocean. She couldn't deny that she was absolutely terrified, she was sure even Harry could feel how fast her heart pounded, how clammy her hands had become. But she couldn't give in, she couldn't let him win. "And it definitely doesn't give you the right to treat me like shit." She added afterwards.

"Oh I have every bloody right." The first-mate growled, his arms tightening painfully against her ribs. "Do ye have any idea what I went through when ye left?!" He yelled, and Queenie winced.

"You think everything's about you all the time, don't you Harry?" Queenie sighed, her voice fading lower until she could do nothing but mutter or whisper, just loud enough for him to hear her. "Did you ever think about what was happening to me while we were apart?" She asked, her nerves on complete edge as she awaited his answer. Despite how indifferent she attempted to keep herself, whenever Harry turned and got a bit nasty it always sent a small ache through her chest. Whenever he made some rude remark she always felt the same thing and she wished every night that it would stop, knowing full well it never would.

Queenie tensed as she felt his head against her own, the tip of his nose gently caressing her cheek. Such a kind thing to do, and yet she'd never been more uncomfortable. She'd learnt quickly that Harry liked to switch things around. He could hug someone in a comforting sort of way, and then whisper the worst possible threat in their ear. His nice acts were quickly followed by something horrible, and even though she was preparing herself for just that, the pain still came.

"Why would I think about ye? Ye're nothin' ta me, love." His harsh and agony-inflicting words were quickly accompanied by a shove, and the princess landed on her hands and knees. "Look at ye, ye can' even face me. Little coward."

Queenie pursed her lips and raised her hand to her face, a pathetic attempt to hide her tears from the first-mate. Oh how she wished it would all just go away. The feelings of utter euphoria she felt whenever he spoke to her, the butterflies in her stomach at the mention of his name, and how empty she felt when he wasn't around her. She loved to see him, but she also hated him with a burning passion. So many things to experience in such a short time period. He was killing her now and she couldn't understand it. Why on earth would he come all the way to Auradon for her if she meant nothing to him? Why would he attempt to speak to her as if they hadn't met before when they'd actually known each other quite well? None of it made sense.

"Get up, princess. If this is yer way of tryin' ta get some sympathy from me it's not goin' ta work." Harry sighed loudly.

Queenie removed her hand and pushed herself up onto her legs, swaying ever so slightly. She'd come this far, now she had to take it further. "I don't want sympathy from you, Harry." She lightly objected, shaking her head as she finally moved to face him. It didn't help in the slightest. Despite his wicked ways Harry was, physically at least, one of the most beautiful people she could ever remember seeing. One little smile from him could have even Princess Audrey falling to her knees, and that fact alone made him a dangerous enemy to have.

"What do ye want from me then, eh?" Harry asked, slowly moving forward. He raised his hook to her face and Queenie struggled to keep her head straight, her eyes flickering to the side as he grazed her cheek with the feared weapon. "Ye're not my princess, ye're jus' the shell, but I can work with that. If I had my way I'd drag ye back to the Isle, memories be damned. I'd train ye again, turn ye back to how ye once were. The only reason I haven' done that yet is because my Captain actually seems ta like ye." He admitted. "She says ye need yer memories back, an' that is the only thing keepin' ye safe right now princess."

"I-I don't believe you." Queenie found herself saying out loud, despite her inner Isle-Girl cursing her out for speaking back to him.

"An' why not?"

Queenie sucked in a breath and lifted her hand, carefully tugging down the neckline of her shirt. "Because of this." She said.

The young princess wasn't completely sure what was going on with Harry in that moment, though she mostly focussed on herself and how hard she was trying to stay in place and not run away. What she did take note of, however, was the way his eyes simply refused to look down, his gaze seemingly content with staying on hers. She didn't know if it was anything big, it may very well have not been anything, but it could also be _something._

" _That_ doesn' mean anythin'." Harry muttered, his jaw moving as he ground his teeth. It was bothering him, and for the first time since he'd arrived Queenie saw a little flicker of Harry faltering. It was swift and concealed quickly, but she'd seen it and she wasn't about to let it go any time soon.

"Then why wont you look at it?" Queenie challenged with a raised brow. Harry narrowed his eyes and turned, angrily storming back towards the school. It was a sign of defeat, but Queenie didn't feel the littlest bit of satisfaction. She hadn't gotten her answer, but she would. "Don't walk away from me, Harry!" She called out, hastily rushing to stay behind him.

"Ye should leave me alone, princess. Bad things happen when people piss me off." He said back.

"You don't let anyone wear your hook." She said suddenly, grasping at anything to just get back that small bit of control she'd felt seconds ago. It was a cheap shot on her part, but if this didn't work then nothing would. "And I'm not talking about the scar." Queenie added afterwards, her hopes rising as she watched him stop in his tracks. "You keep saying that I'm not your princess, and you're right. I'm not. I don't remember anything about you, or anything that we did together, but I still feel it."

Harry stayed in place, slumping slightly as he finally moved around to look at her. He looked aggravated, annoyed at the fact she was still talking to him when he'd dismissed her just now. Queenie knew better, though. He was intrigued.

"When you first showed up I was so excited to see you." She continued, chewing her bottom lip as she thought back on that strange day. "You remember that?"

"Aye." Harry groaned, crossing his arms. "Ye looked like a bloody fish, yer mouth openin' an' closin' over an' over again." It was a stupid insult and they both knew it.

"I started crying, which was really embarrassing by the way." Queenie said, slowly and warily closing the distance between them. She may have been getting through to him in some way, but Harry could turn real fast if she said the wrong thing and she had to be careful. "When you came to my room to study, and you let me hold this." She carefully stroked her fingers over the smooth metal, the familiar vibrations tickling the palm of her hand. "Auradon is full of magic and mysterious things, but I have never felt so drawn to something so simple in my entire life. It's just a hook, a wonderfully crafted weapon." She paused as Harry's brows raised with slight warning, and she knew she had to bring herself back. "But it's powerful in its own way. I felt...amazing, that night, like I could take on anyone. It's easy to get drunk on things like that." Her words hit a little too close to home, she noticed, and she quickly decided to switch up her words. "The point is I feel everything your little princess does. I told you I didn't belong to you, Harry. I didn't say that I wasn't _yours._ "

Harry moved fast and Queenie barely had time to register what he was doing. One minute they were inches apart, and the next his unhooked hand was firmly wrapped around her small neck. Not tight enough to do any damage, but firm enough to let her know not to move. "That was a pretty little speech there, princess. Did ye rehearse it all night?" He taunted with a small chuckle.

"Mock me all you want, I know it doesn't mean anything." Queenie shrugged, clenching her hands into fists as his hand tightened slightly.

"Ye don' know shite darlin'. The little one inside ye knows things about me, but ye don' know a damn thing. I could hurt ye. I've done it before lass, an' I'll happily do it again. What is it ye want from me, eh? Do ye want a boyfriend who'll hold yer hand an' walk ye ta yer room at night? Ye can forget that shite, love. I'm not a little prince, I'm a fuckin' pirate. We take what we want an' kill when we don' get it, do ye understand what I'm tellin' ye?" Harry said firmly, and Queenie nodded as best as she could with his long fingers still holding onto her throat.

"I understand." She muttered, a wave of relief rushing throughout her body as he finally let her go. "I want you to train me." She stated.

Harry tilted his head, his blue eyes searching every inch of her face for something or other. "Are ye mad?" He inquired, rolling his eyes as he took a step back.

"Uma said we have to train together, if we don't sort our shit out then she doesn't help me. I haven't forgotten why I started talking to you in the first place. I want my memories back, Harry. If I have to deal with your emotional shit every single time then fine! I'll do it. You scare me to death, Harry-"

"Good!" The pirate exclaimed, throwing out his arms for dramatic effect. "Ye should be scared of me."

" _But,_ " Queenie emphasized, raising a finger. "I know I scare you too."

"Oh, my little princess." Harry laughed loudly, shaking his head in her direction as if the very suggestion of him being scared of her was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "They really fucked with yer head, didn' they?" He continued, his obnoxious chuckles hitting her ears like a nail against a chalkboard. "Why on earth would I be scared of a little, shy thing like yerself? I could'a killed ye jus' now, thrown ye in the water an' no one would even know. I can hook ye right now if ye like, jus' ta prove a point." He offered, his eyes lighting up in some kind of twisted pleasure.

"But that's the thing, Harry." Queenie said, crossing her arms across her stomach. "You _could_ have killed me, but you didn't. You _could_ have let me drown back on the Isle, but you didn't. And you _could_ have left me here in Auradon to live out a normal life without you, but you didn't." She smiled, her own mind coming to the sudden realisation as she spoke the words. She wasn't an idiot, she knew Harry could very well kill her, or even hurt her; But he wouldn't. Queenie didn't quite know what his deal was with her, but whatever it was it refused to let him release her completely. For some reason Harry wasn't too keen on letting her get away from him. "You said so yourself, if I don't come to you then you come looking for me. Why?! Why wont you just let me go?" Her voice trailed into somewhat of a plead as it came to an end. She knew that she needed Harry, a hidden piece of her knew that first day she'd seen him nothing would be the same, but now she had to know his answer. She wanted to know why he couldn't just let her live out a happy, albeit false, life in Auradon and move on to someone else.

Harry swallowed nervously, clucking his tongue repeatedly as he averted his gaze. "When ye left the Isle I foun' out from Gil. I sent him ta fetch ye from the den, an' instead he foun' the door wide open an' a letter, sayin' that ye'd gone ta Bore-Adon ta fix yer head. Ye wanna know the first thing I did, lass?" It wasn't a question, but Queenie nodded none the less. "I set yer den on fire. Got all yer shite out of it an' lit it up. So that when ye came back to the Isle, ye would have no choice but ta stay with me on the ship. When I realised ye weren' comin' back I ripped the fuckin' ship apart. I couldn' get yer stupid voice outta my head, nothin' would drown it out. Then, when I'm back at tip-top form again I fin' out from Uma that ye were livin' it up here in Bore-Adon. I could've let ye stay, let ye carry on like nothin' had happened, but I came. For some stupid reason I can' live without ye, love, so until that goes away ye're stuck with me."

Queenie chewed her bottom lip, rubbing her arms slowly as she attempted to process the slight admission. Harry was completely insane. He'd burnt down her home on the Isle, then wrecked his own home and it had been for nothing. A short fix to satiate that overwhelming anger of his and apparently it hadn't done much good for him. He hadn't given her much, he'd barely given her anything. Harry hadn't said that he liked her, or that he wanted to be with her, just that he couldn't live without her. That hadn't answered her question, if anything it'd raised even more questions. In what way couldn't he live without her? As a friend? More than a friend? Or just a toy. She could hope that it would be one of her first two guesses, though judging by her luck she assumed it was the last.

"Are ye happy now?" Harry huffed.

Queenie opened her mouth to reply, only to find another voice had taken over her own.

"Q'!" It was Uma. "Evie's looking for you." She told the princess, and Queenie didn't miss the look shared between the Captain and first-mate. Something was going on.

"I'm done here anyway." Queenie said with a small shrug, moving past Harry. "I'll see you later Uma." And with that, she left.

The teal-haired VK kept an eye on the princess, waiting until she'd disappeared from view to turn to her closest friend. "What the hell was that?!" She demanded, her eyes hardening into a glare.

"I don't know what ye're talkin' about." Harry muttered.

"Don't give me that bullshit, I saw enough on my way down here. What the hell is wrong with you?! You say you want her back and then try to throw her in the damn sea. I didn't take care of your princess just for you to kill her in your first few weeks here." Uma snapped, shoving her small hands against Harry's chest. He moved back a step, his mouth firmly closed as he listened to her scolding.

"I can' bloody help it, okay?" Harry said back. He didn't dare shout at his Captain, but his tone was firm enough to let her know he wasn't joking around this time. "I see her with a bloody sword an' I wanna drag her back to my dorm room, but I can' very well do that now, can I?" He exclaimed with a small chuckle. He really was trying to be serious, but it had never quite been his speciality.

Uma rolled her eyes. "Harry, you're a little...frustrated, clearly you don't have first pick over here like you did over there." She said, nodding towards the Isle across the way. "But you are taking it out on _your_ princess, the one person other than me that has been with you for so much, no matter what you did. I know it's us against the world but I can't give you what she can, I'll always be there for you but I'll never be yours. Don't push her away, Harry. She's trying her best for you, don't think I don't notice how tired she's gotten these days. You're draining her, Harry. If you want her to run from you again then by all means do carry on."

"I'm not tryin' ta push her away, Uma." Harry stated. "I wan' my princess back, but I'm not used to this. The old princess accepted who I was an' how I was, didn' question anythin' I did ta her. This one is different. She doesn' like how I am with her, always asks about the Isle, an' I can' tell her anythin' because it might mess with her head. Ye don' understand how frustratin' this is. I don' do nice, I can' do nice, an' that's what she wants." Harry took a breath and shook his head. "I'm not what she wants."

"You told me you wanted to make Queenie strong, right?" Uma re-capped, and Harry nodded. "Well that's what she is now. You are still giving her your worst side and she's still coming back, if that's not enough to make you see then you're an idiot. She could have run to Jay by now, or F.G., and told them everything you've been doing to her, but she hasn't. She still wants you, Harry. If you don't jump on this opportunity she's giving you then I am done trying to get her memories back, okay? You want to hurt her for what she did and I understand that, I really do, but she has been punished enough. I've watched her suffering, so this revenge trip you're on has to stop now. I'm not asking you to be nice, I'm asking you to give her a shot. Do you think you can do that?"

"Aye." Harry muttered reluctantly.

"Good." Uma smiled widely, their former topic of conversation shoved aside. For now anyway. "I have news."

"And what's that then?" Harry inquired as they began their stroll back towards the school.

"I had one of the crew tail Jay. He overheard our little 'friend' talking to Evie about Queenie and something that could, and I quote, 'rip her mind to pieces'."

Harry furrowed his brows. "What is it?" He asked curiously.

"I don't know too much, but I think Jay is in possession of something that could help us figure out how to get Queenie's memories back. I don't know what it is, or how we're supposed to get it, and it's going to be a hard job. You game?" Uma asked warily. Harry had told her that he was sure about helping Queenie and getting her memories back, but for now the Captain remained sceptical. He may have been her best friend, but like everyone else he had his faults, and admitting his weaknesses had always been Harry's worst subject.

"Of course I am. I wan' my fuckin' princess back."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Holy hell it's been a while, but I'm back! First on my list of things to do is give you all a big apology, I haven't written in a while and I've been dealing with a little bastard more commonly known as 'writers block', so that's been fun. I know there wasn't much going on in this chapter, but things will start moving a little more quickly in the following chapters.**

 **Okay, time to acknowledge these lovely reviews. A lot of you have fully taken note of how twisted and abusive the relationship between Queenie and Harry is and you guys are absolutely right. I'm not trying to justify this kind of thing in any way, but to me the Isle was a prison for the worst of the worst, so there is absolutely no way anyone had any normal, functioning relationships over there. In this story and in S.O.S, Harry was a very possessive person and he feels very strongly in that way towards Queenie. He used fear as a way of control over on the Isle, and assumes that this can be used in every aspect. Obviously it can't, and he will start to understand this more in the following chapters. I'm not saying it's going to become a wonderful, sweet couple, but it'll be less intense and controlling than how it was in S.O.S. Harry does have feelings towards Queenie but, like I said, things are twisted on the Isle. He has no idea what it is and he really doesn't like it, so he's naturally fighting against it in the only way he knows how.**

 **I also noticed that I've had some newcomers to the story and welcome! I'm so glad you guys are enjoying the story.**

 **Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a Review or PM me to let me know what you think, or if you have any questions you'd like answered in my next AN. Thanks!**

 **Any typo's will be removed once I've re-read through the chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

Queenie licked her lips with worry, glancing at the clock on the bedside table. She let out a small huff of disbelief and rolled her eyes. One hour. One hour since she'd last seen Harry and already she was feeling that awful withdrawal of not being near him. It was absolutely ridiculous, especially considering the argument they'd had which had almost ended up with her drowning. Her fingers twitched, her heel lightly clicking as her right foot bounced. She was sure to be scolded by the blue-haired princess if she kept it up, but she couldn't help it.

After leaving Uma and Harry to discuss whatever it was they talked about when she wasn't around, Queenie had wandered off to find her old friend. It was a rarity to find Evie in Auradon since she enjoyed being in Cinderellasberg so much, and though Queenie had no idea why Evie wanted to speak with her she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to see how she was. Evie had been a wonderful friend on the Isle, especially when Jay first brought Queenie to the Core Four, and Queenie would always remember that kindness.

"So," Evie spoke, breaking the silence they'd fallen into once Queenie stepped up onto the podium. "Do you have a date for the Union Day dance?" She asked, winding the long measuring tape around Queenie's waist.

"Nope." Queenie replied simply. In truth, she'd completely forgotten about the Union Day dance. The day itself had never held any meaning to her back on the Isle, but people seemed to take it quite seriously in Auradon. "I wasn't even gonna go." She admitted.

"Why not?" Evie gasped, a hand placed to her chest in utter surprise. It was a little overdramatic, in Queenie's opinion, though she'd never say it out loud. "The chance to dress like a _real_ princess is too good to pass up, Q'. You may even find your prince charming." Evie smiled, her brows bouncing suggestively.

"I seriously doubt that." Queenie laughed, though she was far from amused. The very thought of going to a dance filled her with anxiety, and the thought of having to go with someone even more so. Everyone in the school would be attending, most with dates, and the last thing the young princess needed was their glances of pity. "What about you? Who are you going with?" She inquired, hoping to sway the subject away from herself.

"Doug, obviously." Evie jested, moving to measure from Queenie's waist to her feet. "I haven't been back in a while so it'll be nice to dance and have fun with my friends." She added with a shrug.

"Is that why you're back? To see everyone?" Queenie wondered.

Evie shook her head. "Sort of. The girls in Auradon Prep pay good money to have their dresses made, and since my line took off they're all just jumping at the chance to have an original made. I'm measuring each girl individually and creating the dresses to their specifics." She explained.

"Looks like your dream's finally taking off, huh?" Queenie sighed wistfully. Her friend had really hit the jackpot when she came to Auradon, her fantasies becoming reality. And though Queenie was proud of Evie for working so hard and getting everything she wanted, she couldn't help but feel a little bitter about it all. Evie had everything she could ever want. A doting boyfriend, friends that she could turn to in her time of need, and she was being paid to do the thing she loved most. Then there was Queenie. The girl who still had no idea what she wanted from life or from Auradon, the girl who'd had her memories tampered with and hidden away from her, and the girl who could only pine after one man in particular who, for the most part, wanted to 'hook' her.

"They are. But I didn't come here to talk about me. What about you? How're you doing?" Evie asked, scribbling down notes with each measurement she took.

 _'I'm trying to get along with someone who scares the shit out of me and makes me melt into a puddle at the same time. I'm trying to get my memories back, which someone took from me, and I'm learning sword-fighting.'_ Was what Queenie really wanted to say. But she couldn't. That lingering thought in the back of her mind that anyone could be an enemy still remained and, until she figured out exactly what was going on with her, she couldn't tell Evie. That urge was there, to open her mouth and blurt out every worry she had to the blue-haired princess, but she forced it back. "I'm doing okay." She settled on saying. "I mean I'm not doing as well as you, of course, but I think I'm doing alright."

Evie stood straight, the measuring tape thrown around her neck as she held a pen in one hand. Her dark-brown eyes flickered across Queenie's face, her ruby-red lips pursed. "Really?" She muttered with a small frown, and Queenie furrowed her brows.

"Really." Queenie lied with a forced, reassuring smile. A part of her screamed to just tell the girl what was going on, but she ignored her. Evie didn't need to hear her troubles.

"If you're sure." Evie stressed. "I might not be around as much but I'll try and help you if I can."

"E-Evie, are you okay?" Queenie asked warily. Back on the Isle she wouldn't have given it a second though, shrugging it off as Evie being her usual motherly self, but something was different this time. Evie seemed, just a little, worried for her.

"I'm fine." Evie giggled, though Queenie could see otherwise. She swore that just for a second she saw a small, glistening tear in the corner of her friends eye. "Anyway, what colours would you like your dress to be. Do you want it long, short, lace, silk; All your decision." The former VK exclaimed, crossing her arms.

"Uh," Queenie rolled her eyes about as she thought. "Something short, that's all I'll ask for, with a high neck-line. You're the master here and I trust you with everything else." She said, stepping down from the podium.

"Got it." Evie said with a thumbs-up, scribbling into her notebook once again.

"Right, I have some stuff to do so I guess I'll see you around?" Queenie asked as she reached for her backpack.

"Actually Q' I was going to ask you to stick around for a bit, we haven't seen each other in a while and I could use a little break." Evie said, and Queenie shuffled her feet.

"I don't know E', I have a lot of homework to do and-"

"Jay told me to talk to you."

Queenie stopped and gaped. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and dropped her backpack to the floor, her former thoughts long forgotten. She'd fully planned on starting her homework, with everything going on for her nowadays she'd been slacking slightly, but she'd also intended to go and find Uma. She hadn't had the chance to talk to her since 'training' began and she really had to know if the girl had gotten anywhere in a search for a remedy to Queenie's predicament. It was only fair, Queenie was doing her best to get to know Harry better despite his asshole personality and she needed to know if Uma was fulfilling her end of the deal.

The young princess took a breath and sat down. She hadn't spoken to Jay in days, though she had been avoiding him. Clearly he knew it too if he was sending Evie in to find out what was going on.

"Look, I don't know why you're avoiding him or even what's going on with you two, but you have to stop. He's worried about you, Q'. That's all." Evie assured the smaller princess, coming forward to sit down beside her.

"Nothing's going on. I mean, yeah, I've been avoiding him but I didn't mean to push him away. That's the last thing I want." Queenie said, gnawing at her bottom lip.

"Well then tell _me_ what's going on with you, maybe I can help you explain it to Jay. If you don't want me to tell him then I won't. Anything you say to me stays between us, okay?" Evie offered gently, carefully grasping Queenie's hand in her own.

Queenie turned her head and stared at Evie, her mind frantic with debate. She could tell her everything, how she, Harry and Uma were searching for a way to get her memories back. How Uma had told her to start sword-training with Harry as a way for them to get to know each other better. Everything. However, the more she thought the worse her suspicions became. She and Evie were close, but none were closer than the Core Four. Even on the Isle, weeks after joining them, Queenie still felt like an outsider, like she'd never be one of them. Chances were if Jay was keeping something from her, then so was Evie. She couldn't tell her everything, but she had to say something.

"I-I've been hanging out with Uma and her crew." Queenie finally spoke, swallowing hard. "Jay told me to stay away from Harry on the first day they came, said you guys had some beef with him back on the Isle. Thing is, Uma's been a really good friend and I don't want to stay away. They're nice people, I really like spending time with them. But Jay would never approve."

Evie released a breath of relief, her once tense form relaxing. "That's all?" She laughed, and Queenie nodded. "Q', Jay won't be mad at you. He might be a little disappointed but he'd never do anything to risk your happiness." Evie stated, lightly shaking her head.

"I know. He's just done so much for me, y'know? I don't want him to think I'm abandoning him in some way." Queenie pressed, the little white lie leaving a bitter taste on her tongue. If things were simpler she'd happily blurt her every emotion to the princess, but they weren't. "I'm fine, really. He doesn't have to check up on me all the time. Tell him that, will you? I don't think I can do it myself. He'll handle it better from you."

"Of course, I promise I'll let him know." Evie said with a large smile.

"Thank you, E'. I really do have some stuff to do, though. Do you mind?" Queenie said as she gestured towards the door.

Evie shook her head. "No, go ahead." She muttered, and they both stood, Queenie moving to leave while Evie strolled back towards her desk. "Q'." She said suddenly, and Queenie paused.

"Hmm?" She wondered, her hand practically gripping the door. A few small steps and she was out of Evie's room and away from the guilt, away from the screaming in her head to just tell all of her secrets.

"It's just that, right? Nothing else is bothering you?" Evie asked.

 _'Tell her. Tell her.'_ A small whisper chanted in the young princess's mind. "Not a thing." She said with a strained, small smile.

~...~...~

Fairy Godmother shuffled straighter in her chair, her lips pursed as she waited for the other Council members to arrive. She clasped her hands together above the large, circular and wooden table, staring at the file between her arms. Or, to be more precise, _Queenie's_ file. The thing that held every dark secret hidden in the young girl's mind, the very things Fairy Godmother had tried so desperately to conceal from the little one in an attempt to heal her tormented soul.

The Fairy sighed nervously and glanced at the ten chairs organized neatly around the table. She had absolutely no idea how it would go. The only reason she even spoke to the King and Queen about holding such a meeting was because of her discussions with Jay. The young man was concerned for the safety of his friend and he had every right to be, but he also had to think about the safety of Auradon, and what consequences they'd have to face should she restore Queenie's memories. Truthfully, the Fairy had every intention of swaying the council's minds against the idea. Queenie was a bright student, working hard in her classes and spending time with her friends when she wasn't in class. The re-placement of her memories could very well disrupt that entire routine. And with Harry Hook's sudden and unexpected appearance in Auradon she had absolutely no idea how things would turn out. It was too great a risk, and it was one Fairy Godmother was not too eager to witness.

Council Meetings were always held when it came to the health and safety of Auradon Children, especially when it came to the discussion of where they would reside. If one thought a certain student was being unusually drawn towards a darker path, their file would be looked over by each member and dissected thoroughly. If they were voted too unpredictable in their actions then they would, much to the councils despair, be taken to the Isle of the Lost. Never had one of their own Auradon-Born children been sent to the Isle, just as Isle-Born children had never been reviewed to come to Auradon before King Ben's rule. Things were changing in their world, and they had to be firmer than ever.

A slight creaking echoed through the room and Fairy Godmother stood. She watched silently as King Adam and Queen Belle entered, dropping into a practiced curtsy once they were near.

"Fairy Godmother." The King greeted with a small smile.

"Your highnesses." The Fairy replied, though she was unable to even summon a slight twitch of the lips under such circumstances.

"I see we're the first to arrive." Queen Belle noted, settling down into the chair her husband had so graciously pulled out for her.

"Uh, yes, I was waiting for you both before I summoned the others." Fairy Godmother explained, moving back down and into her own chair. She perched at the very edge of her seat, quickly sweeping away any loose strands of brown hair, ensuring her style was perfect. She wouldn't deny that she was a little anxious about today's meeting, but she knew she had to tuck it away for the time being. "Right, shall we begin." She said with a pitched giggle, raising her wand into the air. She flicked twice, to the two chairs on the opposite side of the table, and in a beautiful flash of icy-blue smoke their guests appeared.

The first to make her presence known was the White Queen, Ruler over Wonderland and Queenie's Aunt. Fairy Godmother let her chocolate-brown eyes take in the intimidating woman's form, her cheeks reddening at the sight. The Fairy didn't rule over any Kingdom nor land, however she did have her own thoughts and opinions on one should present themselves when attempting to make an impression. The White Queen was beautiful and since time moved slower in Wonderland she hadn't quite aged as much as the rest of them, so while she should have been older she didn't appear to be a day over twenty-five at least. Her hair was golden, flowing down to her waist in tamed waves. Her pale skin was unwrinkled and completely blemish free, her form covered by a long, white and lace dress. Fairy Godmother found it entirely inappropriate. The Fairy had been the one to set a certain dress-code in Auradon that even the adults seemed to follow, and she'd expected as much from other Kingdoms. The White Queen's dress hardly fitted that code, but the Fairy held back her thoughts on the matter. For now anyway.

The second, and last, council member to appear was Peter Pan. The discussion on Queenie's mind didn't effect Neverland in any way but Harry's sudden and unexpected decision to come to Auradon may have been worth mentioning to the man. He was Fairy Godmother's least favourite member of their usually large council. Unlike Auradon and Wonderland, time halted completely in Neverland, so while he was also as old as the rest he had made the decision to remain in his youth. A decision the Fairy Godmother thought selfish and utterly thoughtless. Sometimes he surprised them with his words, reminding them that he was only fourteen in his physical aspects, and that his mind was just as matured as theirs. The Fairy's irritation towards him was based mostly on how he acted during most of their meetings; Like a bored, irresponsible teenager. Even now he blew puffs of air through his lips, his arms folded and legs crossed rudely on top of the well-polished table. His manners were still lacking, it seemed.

"Welcome." King Adam greeted them with a small nod of the head.

"There are only two of us. Why?" The White Queen inquired gently, taking note of the other empty chairs.

"This meeting only involves the two of you." Fairy Godmother replied, removing the pencil from her ear and twiddling it between her fingers. "We're here to discuss Queenie and..." Fairy Godmother let out a breath of hesitance, her gaze flickering towards the boy staring back at her. "Harry Hook." She finished.

"Harry _Hook_?" The red-haired youngster repeated, and Fairy Godmother nodded. "Son of Captain Hook? You let the son of my enemy into Auradon and didn't think to tell me?!" He bellowed, his face flushed with overwhelming fury.

"He hasn't been here long." Belle assured, her always-soothing voice taming the boy's temperamental nature. "A little over a week, at the most. We're letting you know now, that's what matters."

"Why are we together if the matter is about two, separate young people? Couldn't this have been done through a letter?" The White Queen asked, her hands neatly folded in her lap.

"Because these specific students have somewhat of a history together, and should things go in a certain direction today it could mean the worst for both your worlds." The Fairy said grimly, frowning at the folder in front of her.

"Why are we here, Fairy Godmother?" Belle asked curiously, her own eyes quickly glancing towards the file.

"Jay has asked me to re-consider the removal of Queenie's memories. He's brought some worrying information to my office and I decided it was too important to push aside." Fairy Godmother explained, the pencil between her fingers moving at a faster pace.

"What information?" Pan demanded, his impatience quickly coming through.

"When we first held this meeting, we knew only what Jay had told us, and we made a very big decision regarding Queenie on only these facts. Since her arrival I've seen into her mind, I've seen things no normal human being could stand to witness, and while I know we've made the right decision he has begged me to consider restoring the little one's memories. Queenie and Mr. Hook were very...close, on the Isle of the Lost. Too close, in my opinion. He was much like his father, vicious and manipulative, ruling that place with fear." The Fairy said loudly.

"What did you expect?" Pan scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Were you expecting a well-mannered man wanting only good for the people around him? If so, you're stupider than I ever took you for."

"Enough. Letters were given to every child on the Isle at my son's demand, they were all given a chance. If they come here and they do not work with our rules in place then they return to the Isle. So far this young man has done nothing wrong." King Adam said firmly, his eyes narrowed with warning.

"And what of my niece?" The White Queen wondered.

"Queenie was a tormented little thing. She was badly hurt, abused to the brink of death. Even by her own mother." Fairy Godmother found the strength to admit.

"Yet she lived." The White Queen pointed out with raised brows. "She's a survivor, and that doesn't make her a threat."

"Not on her own, she isn't." Fairy Godmother muttered quietly, swallowing her nerves. She had to be strong if she wanted it to go in her favour. "Mr. Hook found her and took her in, cleaned her wounds and fed her, gave her a place to sleep until she was strong enough to go back to her home. But please keep in mind that he didn't do this out of kindness. He used this against Queenie for the duration of her time on the Isle, attempted to twist and bend her mind just as his was. He wanted her to be like him. His attempts were futile. Queenie remained the same. She was kind, she kept to herself and turned away from any and all confrontation."

"Then why are we here?" The White Queen asked. "If this young man couldn't force my niece to follow in his footsteps then why is this a concern?"

Fairy Godmother took a deep breath. "You should know that while Queenie is a lovely, hard-working girl you should also know that loyalty means everything to her. Especially with Harry. The things that young man did to her and she still stayed by his side, never straying too far from where he was. If he asks something of Queenie then she will do it." She told them, her gaze then falling to the dreaded file before her. "I made this after delving into Queenie's mind. Everything she's seen, heard or done on that Isle is in here. Every single atrocity she's committed, the majority under Harry Hook's influence. Until he falls out of place we can't send him back to the Isle, Ben would be very angry if he knew we did such a thing without cause. What we can do is judge whether or not giving Queenie back her memories of Mr. Hook is the best decision."

"May I see this file?" The White Queen asked, her face hardened to the point where it was completely unreadable. Fairy Godmother didn't know what was going on inside the woman's head, and was very reluctant to hand over file without further reason.

"Of course." King Adam spoke, reaching for the folder. Fairy Godmother watched with a slightly gaped mouth as he slid it across the table, pursing her lips as it reached the White Queen's fingers.

"Thank you." She said with a nod, the corners of her lips twitching with a small, satisfied smirk at the Fairy's apprehensive and irritated gaze. Her long fingers flipped through the pages until eventually they stopped, her blue orbs scanning the written words with a frown.

"Well, what does it say?!" Pan rushed, leaning forward in his seat eagerly.

"Oh, my little niece." The White Queen sighed sadly, her eyes brimming with tears. "She shouldn't have been made to go through any of this. Say what you will but that man would have been killed no matter what." She said, her once-gentle tone replaced with that of slight aggression. "She shouldn't have even been put on that Isle." She continued, her eyes flashing with a bright white light.

"What happened?" King Adam demanded, his open hand lightly slamming against the table. He then mustered a quick apology towards his wife, her smaller fingers grasping at his own. He forgot himself sometimes, but he couldn't help it. The tension was overbearing and he couldn't stand it.

"With the aid of Mr. Hook, she murdered a man unable to defend himself. Slit his throat." Fairy Godmother spoke up, the images she'd drawn from Queenie's mind flashing vividly in her own. It had been a gruesome sight to witness, and had rooted itself firmly into her brain since. The thought of taking a life was completely outrageous and so, so evil that she couldn't even stand to consider doing something so horrible.

"A defenceless man?" The White Queen said with disbelief. "Under my sisters orders he and another guard beat my niece until she couldn't move, left her for dead in a filthy tunnel like a piece of garbage. In my Kingdom we would have taken his head." She seethed.

"With all due respect, we are not in your Kingdom. This is Auradon and we do not condone any violence, especially murder." The Fairy fired, unable to withhold her thoughts on such a subject.

"This is why we simply loathe you Auradon-Born. You think everything is black and white when really there are a hundred shades between. Many of your so-called heroes have killed in self-defence, and you've doomed most to the Isle for stupid things. You're not all as innocent as you claim to be." The White Queen remarked boldly.

"What is the worst-case scenario in this? What is the worst thing that could happen by restoring her memories?" Belle inquired, slightly ruffled by the Queen's remarks and lack of respect for their ways.

"Jay has been keeping an eye on Queenie, but I know she's been pushing him away. Mr. Hook's arrival has stirred something up in the little one, the darker side of her mind is awake now. I've seen her temper, how unpredictable it can be. If we give her back her memories she could very well turn against us, use the power of her mothers pendant to wage war on our Kingdoms. From what I've seen she does not handle betrayal well, and I fully believe that she will count our helping her as a betrayal. With Harry's help they could both disrupt the balance we have here. I don't doubt that Harry holds the same resentment as his father, he could even come to Neverland." The Fairy said pointedly. "Our students could be hurt, or worse. We have to think of the safety of everyone."

"And what about Harry? Is he alone a threat to Neverland?" Pan asked, and the Fairy shook her head.

"I don't believe he's a threat to you on his own. He doesn't have a ship, or a crew of his own. He isn't even a Captain himself. But he has a power over Queenie and his manipulation along with her power, should she use it, could mean very bad things for all of us."

A tense silence fell over the room then, and King Adam was the first to break it. "So, we have to take a vote." He sighed, rubbing at his forehead stressfully.

"Couldn't we just keep them apart?" Belle suggested, a slight plead in her voice. "Instead of tampering with a young woman's mind, no matter how necessary, wouldn't it just be easier to send this Mr. Hook back to the Isle? You said yourself Fairy Godmother that she is a lovely, well-mannered little thing who has many friends. She wouldn't turn on them because of him, would she?" She pressed, almost begging the Fairy to side with Queenie in this conversation.

"Yes." It was the White Queen who answered. All eyes turned to her though she didn't look at them. It appeared that while they were discussing the best way to deal with their predicament she was reading Queenie's file. "You don't think it's true, do you?" She questioned the Fairy, who fidgeted nervously in her seat, her gaze dropping at the Queen's probing stare.

"No." Fairy Godmother admitted. "It's obsession, reliance on another person if anything. There's no way she-"

"It's possible." The White Queen interrupted, tilting her head slightly. "It's highly possible that two children raised in an abusive and aggressive surrounding found it with each other. It's quite clear they spent a lot of time together, maybe my niece saw something in him that no one else thought to look for. I don't deny that he's a ruthless being, but how could we expect anything less from the son of Captain Hook? He may very well have come all this way to Auradon just to find her. Love is a very powerful thing, we all know that, and it is not limited to only those who do good. If you're wrong and she does love him, she'll throw everything away. And if he also loves her then this a dangerous game we're playing."

"How could anyone love such a person? He hit her, attempted to kill her on numerous occasions, even mutilated her for his own benefit. That's not love, your highness, that's dominance." Fairy Godmother exclaimed, tapping her fingers with utter frustration.

"What on earth do you think love is? It isn't always beautiful, filled with happy endings and magical kisses. It's unrelenting passion, overwhelming jealousy and can bring the strongest warriors to their knees if used in the wrong manner. If they're spending time together as we speak then throwing him away on the Isle is a ridiculous decision. If you do that and restore her memories then she will find a way to break that barrier, and she'll find him again. You've only yourselves to blame, I told you to let her be, let her decide if she really wanted to stay in Auradon or not and you didn't listen. You went and messed with her mind until she fitted into your perfect world and then let her go. These are the consequences, and now you'll have to face them." The White Queen finished her speech with a light shrug, as if their decisions after this meant absolutely nothing to her.

"We have to make a decision now, and we have to be certain it's the right one. All those in favour of restoring Queenie's memories?" Fairy Godmother wondered, her eyes visibly brightening at the sight of no hands being raised. "Those against the idea?" Her own hand raised, along with King Adam, Queen Belle and Pan. The White Queen didn't raise her hand once. "Then the decision's been made. Queenie will remain as she is. Thank you for coming." She picked up her wand and flicked it in Peter Pan's direction, sending him back to his Neverland home in a poof of smoke.

"I'm surprised you didn't vote, your highness." Belle said to the White Queen, shrinking slightly back into her seat.

"There really was no point. I know how you Auradon-Born look at us, judge us on how we do things in Wonderland. But I can confidently say that we haven't had an uprising yet, when you have had two attempts made on your Kingdom." The woman pointed out, her lips stretching into a smile.

"May I remind you that both were calmed in a gentle manner. We did not have to use force to do it." Fairy Godmother countered proudly.

"If I remember it correctly none of you had any say in those moments, your children did. The younger generation are much brighter than their elders, it seems. They're changing things for the better and you must move with the times. All those grudges and your old-fashioned ways are going to clash with their lives eventually, and that will be an interesting sight to behold." She laughed, seemingly amused at the very thought of it all. "If my darling Queenie regains her memories between now and the Union Day dance I would like to be notified." She requested.

"I'm very sorry, your highness, but I will do no such thing." Fairy Godmother said as she shook her head.

"Oh, I wasn't talking about you." The White Queen objected, her eyes shining with something akin to mischief. "I'm surprised you hadn't thought of this yourself. If Harry is here for Queenie, then he knows by now that she doesn't know who he is. You should keep a closer eye on your students, Fairy Godmother, there's no telling what they'll find out if left alone too long." And with that, the Queen disappeared, returning to her own world with her own magic, leaving nothing but shimmering dust and a looming worry in her place.

~...~...~

Uma released a loud, agitated groan and leaned her head back. Her days duties had been fulfilled, and she really should have been having a nice, relaxing shower. But she wasn't. Instead the VK was faced with the impatience of her first-mate, and the bad-news her crew members had for her, bringing only more stress and turmoil to her already frantic life.

"What do you mean you can't find it?" She demanded, staring hard at Gaston's son with as much anger as her eyes would allow.

"We didn't find anything!" He replied, arms thrown out to the side. "We looked everywhere. Ransacked the whole room and we didn't find anything." He assured her, gesturing to his down-cast crew, all three fidgeting and nervous at the fact they'd let down their Captain.

"If ye didn' fin' anythin' in their room then where would it be?" Harry asked, toying with his hook.

"Unless," Uma wondered, twirling the ends of her braids as she walked about the room in deep thought.

"Unless?" Harry pressed with slight disinterest, as if the entire topic held no appeal to him whatsoever.

"There are only two other places it could be. He used to be a thief, guys, and no respectable thief would think to keep something so important in a place so obvious. First option is his locker, so we need to get into that ASAP." Uma said to her crew. "Bonnie, you're the best at lock-picking, go when everyone's asleep, take Jonas with you just in case you run into any trouble, Desiree will stay in your room in case anyone comes snooping. Got it?" The members nodded in understanding and she gave a small nod towards the door. "Go, I'm done with you three." They left the room then, leaving only her, Harry and Gil.

"What's the second place?" Harry inquired from his stretched-out place above her bed, twirling one of his many rings around his finger.

"I didn't think anything of it, but Jay's been walking around with his backpack on all damn day." Uma explained, letting out a small huff as she perched at the edge of Ava's well-made bed.

"An' yer point is?" Harry sighed.

Uma furrowed her brows, staring at her first-mate as if he was an idiot. "He's carrying it around with him. If they don't find anything then that's the only other place it could be, which makes this so much harder." She muttered, pressing her tongue into the inside of her cheek. Uma hadn't quite expected everything to be so difficult, but it seemed she'd clearly underestimated this situation. The higher-ups weren't too eager for Queenie to get her head back together, and it meant they'd have to work harder than ever now, especially if Jay was keeping this mystery object on him at all times.

"Then we fin' a way ta get it from him. He can' train with the bloody thing on." Harry pointed out, rolling his eyes.

"If it's Jay, then chances are he'll try." Uma fired. "Until we can figure out what to do I need you to keep your princess under control. Just make sure she knows we're helping her, I don't want her running off and trying to find it herself."

"Aww," Harry chuckled with a small, mocking pout. "Do ye like the little one?" Uma sat straight and stared in his direction, her pursed lips and agitated expression daring him to mess with her. "Oh alright," Harry relented, albeit with slight reluctance.

"Thank you." Uma said with sarcasm, leaning back onto her hands.

"Speakin' of little ones, where's yer little mermaid?" Harry asked, and Uma closed her eyes in an attempt to relax.

"Leave Ava out of this, Harry." She warned, the day's activities finally taking its toll on her body.

"I'm serious Captain." The first-mate continued, moving up to glance at the clock on the bedside table. "It's gone six, don' she usually come back aroun' now?"

Uma opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. Harry was right. Classes finished around three, but Ava always took an afternoon swim around Auradon pier to cool off at the end of the day. She really should have been back by now. "It's really six o'clock?" She asked loudly, tilting her head down to see her friend.

"Aye." Harry confirmed, nodding his head. He frowned as he watched his Captain look towards the window, her eyes darting towards nothing in particular. She was worried. "When did ye las' see her?" He asked, pushing himself up until he was seated.

"Last night, before we went to sleep." Uma declared, bowing her head as she muttered quieted words to herself. "Damn it." She groaned, quickly jumping to her feet. "We have to find Queenie. Something's wrong."

"Woah, wait a minute Captain." Harry rushed, moving to stop the smaller girl in her tracks. "Why d'ye think somethin' is wrong?"

"Ava's life is a routine, okay? She does the same thing all the time, no matter what. I just-" Uma paused quickly, looking up at her best friend with hesitation and slight apprehensiveness, like she was worried to tell him what she was thinking. It was a first. "I just _know_."

Harry licked his lips and nodded, taking note of how serious Uma's eyes were in that moment. She was asking him to understand, begging to be more precise. And what Uma was saying without using her voice at all reached his ears loud and clear. It was the same thing he'd had once Queenie left the Isle, that irritating and unrelenting feeling of something being out of place. "Okay, we'll go get Queenie."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Hello readers! Okay, so I know there wasn't much going on in this chapter but at the same time, there was. I'm actually happier with this chapter than the one before, because that chapter felt more like a filler than anything else. Anyway, things are moving faster and the Uma/Ava pairing will have a bigger part in the next chapter, so please stick around for that.**

 **Anyway, I haven't posted much in this AN because I'm not quite sure what to say. Please leave a review to let me know you thought of it though, and big thank you to all who've reviewed, followed and favourited. You guys are awesome!**

 **Please forgive me for any typos, they'll be removed once I've properly re-read through. Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

Jay fidgeted in his seat, his fists repeatedly clenching and unclenching as he pondered F.G.'s words. He turned his head to stare at the wall, overlooking the photos in their frames, hoping the churning in his stomach would finally stop. But it didn't. He wanted to yell at the headmistress, lean over the desk and demand that she give Queenie her memories back, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. The council had made their decision to leave Queenie the way she was, but that didn't mean he had to. All the lying and sneaking around was seriously starting to affect his relationship with his friend and he was going to put a stop to it. After all, it was the _right_ thing to do.

"I really am sorry, Jay." Fairy Godmother said with a small, sympathetic smile. It did nothing to make him feel better, especially since Jay knew full well she'd been against the idea of restoring Queenie's memories since the very beginning. He had no doubt in his mind that she'd voted against the idea, and his respect for her had long since dwindled.

"Can I at least know why?" Jay asked with a sigh. A part of him had to know that there was a good reason for this. He needed to be able to speak and be around Queenie without feeling like an absolute failure of a friend, and this could only be achieved if he knew he was doing some good.

"Unfortunately I can't just tell you what was discussed at this meeting, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that there was a very good reason. We take the lives of our students very seriously here and we don't take magic lightly." Fairy Godmother reassured, and Jay nodded with some understanding. It wasn't a very good explanation, but it was the only one he was going to get.

"I have to ask, how is Queenie?" F.G. inquired gently, leaning forward to rest her hands on the desk.

Jay opened his mouth to reply, but had to pause when he noticed the fairy's curious gaze. She'd asked many times how Queenie was and he often told her everything without hesitation, but something was different this time. Whether it was because she'd just given him some less-than-joyful news only moments ago, or because he'd started seeing her in a somewhat different light lately, he wasn't sure. Her tight-lipped smile seemed strained, the corners of her lips twitching as she patiently awaited his reply. His eyes flickered to her hands, taking note of the way her fingers twitched every now and again. F.G. wasn't just asking because she was concerned for Queenie's well-being. He could tell by the way she sat straight in her chair, practically frozen in place when usually she seemed so much more relaxed.

"She's okay. I had Evie speak to her and she said everything's fine. She's been making friends with Uma and the crew, so I haven't had the time to talk to her lately." Jay finally said.

"No headaches? No weird feelings around Mr. Hook? Nothing concerning?" The Fairy asked.

"Nothing." Jay replied with a frown. She'd never pressured him about it before. It was almost as if she was looking for something to be wrong.

"I see. Well I think it's best for me to take a look into Queenie's mind, since she's been spending so much time with these pirates." Fairy Godmother suggested lightly.

"W-What?" He stuttered, his eyes widening just a fraction. He'd heard her words loud and clear, but he had to hear them again.

"I think it's best if I take a peek into Queenie's mind, just to make sure everything's still in place. You understand, don't you?"

The former thief held his breath for a moment. He uncrossed his arms and instead leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. He let the fairy's words sink into his brain, letting the thought lull about as he attempted to form a good enough reply. He'd already been on the fence about Fairy Godmother leaving Queenie the way she was, but there was no way he was going to sit down and watch her fuck with Queenie's head again. There really was no reason for it either. If her memories hadn't come back on their own by now then they surely wouldn't be returning, and putting Queenie through all of the mind-wiping again was absolutely pointless. Pointless and cruel, in his opinion. Jay knew it hurt her, he'd seen the pain on her face whenever F.G. put her hands to the girls head, and the way Queenie always stared at him with fear in her eyes when it started would forever be burned in his own mind. He couldn't do it. He _wouldn't_ do it.

"I'm sorry F.G. but I can't. I can't let you do that." Jay found the strength to say. He watched carefully as the woman's smile wiped away, her lips pursed as she gave a small sigh. She wasn't happy, but he couldn't even bring himself to give a damn.

"I wasn't asking for your permission, my dear. With the councils decision made I have to ensure the walls are in place. Your being there isn't essential, but it would make the little one feel a lot better." She explained with that sickly-sweet voice that Jay suddenly couldn't stand.

"I'll talk to her, see if she's okay with this." Jay said with reluctance. He didn't want to be the one to tell Queenie she had to go through it, but F.G.'s words were more of a warning than anything else. They were going to do this with or without him.

"Thank you, Jay. Everything will go fine dear, I promise, and this will be the last time." F.G. told him, her shoulders dropping in relief at the thought of him complying with her request.

Jay nodded and stood from his seat, grabbing his backpack as he moved towards the door. He let out a breath as he finally left the room, turning to walk down the hall at a fast pace. He had to find Queenie.

~...~...~

Queenie grumbled incoherently as she stared down at her blank notebook, her fingers practically digging into her scalp as she willed her mind to work. For what seemed like the thousandth time she looked to the right, re-reading the same page she'd been on for nearly half an hour now in an attempt to focus her entire attention on completing this report. She'd never been a slacker, always being one of the first to hand their homework in on time, but it seemed her newly-found suspicious nature was thwarting any plans she had of completing her task. Her heart raced at the thought of not getting it done, a part of her wondering if her teachers would also see the half-assed attempts she'd been putting into her work lately. So many different scenarios flashed through her brain, the most notable being her superiors keeping her behind after class to discuss her problems and her popping open like a soda can. She just had to think. A task easier said than done.

"Damn it." Queenie hissed, throwing herself back into her chair. She looked away from the large pile of books and towards the window, staring at absolutely nothing as she fiddled with her pendant. She knew full well where her mind wanted to venture and she wasn't about to let it happen.

A loud, rhythmic knock echoed through the room and Queenie rolled her eyes. She stood and moved towards the door with every intention of telling whoever it was that she was busy and that she had to study. She'd had so many distractions in her life lately that she was beginning to lose sight of what was really important. If the Auradon-Born even suspected her of pulling away from her work they'd surely tell F.G. and, accompanied by the fact she was now hanging around with pirates, she'd surely be sent back to the Isle.

"Look, I don't have the time-" Queenie stopped as soon as she yanked the door open, her words suddenly caught in her throat as she realised just who it was on the other side.

"Ye don' have the time for me? I'm hurt, lass."

"No." Queenie said firmly. "Not you. Not now." She rambled exasperatedly.

"What the bloody hell did I do now?!" Harry wondered incredulously.

"Are you kidding me?!" She yelled back, her former annoyance and frustration at not being able to get any work done now doubled by Harry's appearance. He was all she could think about lately, all she'd ever thought about since his arrival, and though she feared what he could do to her if she pushed him too far she also held a small resentment towards him, and in her current state it was the only thing she could handle.

"Is it that time o' the month again, love?" Harry asked with a pitying expression.

Queenie raised her brows, unable to decipher if he was really that much of an idiot or if he was trying to push her buttons again. Either way she wasn't in the mood for it and she certainly wasn't going to stand around and play his games.

"Leave the girl alone, Harry." A familiar voice commanded. It seemed while Queenie had been battling it out with Harry, Uma had been right behind him listening to every word.

"Ye're no fun anymore." Harry grumbled towards his Captain, stepping further into Queenie's room until the young princess could see the teal-haired VK.

"Why are you both here?" Queenie asked with confusion, her eyes bouncing between the Captain and first-mate. Could they have found a solution already?

"Have you seen Ava today?" Uma asked instead of answering the princess's question.

Queenie closed her bedroom door and turned to lean against it. She thought back over the past few days to when she last saw the little mermaid, and was slightly guilt-ridden as she realised she hadn't seen her in at least two days. Queenie had been so caught up in her own problems she hadn't even taken the time to realise that she hadn't been spending as much time with her best friend as she used to. She was utterly ashamed to admit that going to see Ava hadn't even crossed her mind.

"Not in two days." Queenie told the Captain as she moved towards her bed. She sat down at the edge and mentally cursed herself out.

"I haven't seen her since this morning." Uma stated.

The princess closed her eyes tightly, running a hand through her hair as she pushed her waves back and out of her face. It wasn't late, not by usual Auradon standards anyway, but Ava would have definitely returned to her room by now. Even Queenie knew Ava well enough to know that she wouldn't stay out on her own longer than necessary. The little mermaid loved to be around her friends, her fondness for talking about her day and asking how they were wouldn't allow her to stay alone too long, and with Uma in her room Queenie knew something had to be wrong. Ava was either with her or Uma, but if she wasn't with either of them then where on earth was she?

"Where would she be?" Harry asked from the other side of the room.

"There's not many places she'd go. Study Hall, the library," Queenie listed.

"She swims around the pier every night." Uma added, and Queenie nodded.

"Couldn't she have just decided to stay out longer? I mean, she loves being in the water." The princess offered as a suggestion.

"Not enough to stay out there for three hours. She's never done that before." Uma objected with slight frustration. She was worried about Ava, but she had every right to be. Ava was good and pure, maybe the most kindest person in Auradon prep, and that made her a very easy target. If they were on the Isle, she'd be dead by now.

"We should go out and look." Queenie said, already rushing from her spot on the bed to grab her plimsolls. "We could check those places I mentioned, ask around to see if anyone's seen her. If she is out in the water then you'll have to do that alone." She told Uma with an apologetic shrug. "I can't go out there."

Uma nodded and Queenie got to her feet. She wasn't exactly dressed for the occasion but her pyjamas would have to do.

"Uh, love?" Harry called, and Queenie turned. A soft, light fabric collided with her face and she let out a huff, pulling the material away to see what he'd thrown at her.

"I don't exactly need my jacket, Harry." Queenie said as she rolled her eyes. Auradon was hardly every cold, and though the night's often got a little chilly the last thing on her mind at the moment was getting sick.

Harry tilted his head in her direction, gently tutting as he slowly approached her. He stood straight when they were no more than a few inches apart, his eyes slowly raking over her face and lower. Queenie had no idea what he was doing, they had to leave and she couldn't dive too deep into a full explanation, so she just put it down as him attempting to intimidate her in some way. Whatever it was, though, she really didn't have the time for it.

"Fine." Queenie huffed once she realised his intense stare wouldn't let up until she put the jacket on. She pushed her arms through the sleeves and flicked her hair out afterwards, crossing her arms with annoyance as she raised a brow up at the pirate. "Happy now?" She muttered with a small, forced smile.

The first-mate took a step back and slowly assessed the princess in front of him, and Queenie had to roll her eyes once more. He was being absolutely ridiculous. The time he was taking to scrutinize her appearance could be put to much better use, but she'd leave that argument for later.

When Harry narrowed his eyes and moved back into her personal bubble, she snapped.

"Harry!"

"Shush now, love, I'm busy." He admonished lightly, tossing his hook onto her bed. He ignored her irritated expression, instead looking down to focus on the task at hand.

"I'm not a baby, Harry." Queenie stuttered, lowering her head to see him doing up the zipper.

Eventually his fussing stopped completely, and when it did Queenie seriously had to keep herself focussed. He wasn't messing with her zipper anymore. Instead his right hand firmly took hold of her hip while his left, now free of it's hook, tickled the space between her breasts. She swallowed hard, her throat unbearably dry as she decided to wait him out. She knew what he was touching, it was something he'd done himself and something she often couldn't find the will to look at, her eyes tearing up at the very sight of it. For her it was a brand, a mark that meant she actually belonged to someone other than herself, and a constant reminder that she still had no idea who she truly was. But for Harry it was something different.

"This isn' for anyone else, alright?" He muttered low and into her ear. "It's always been our little secret an' I wanna keep it that way." And with that said, he pushed straight past her.

Queenie swayed, her senses finally coming back to her one by one. She looked down and noticed that he'd pulled the zipper up to cover her 'mark', and she had to admit that she was partly grateful for it. The last thing she needed was someone noticing it and pointing it out, asking her where and how she got it when she didn't even know herself.

"Are you guys done?" Uma asked impatiently.

Queenie nodded her head. Whatever issues she and Harry had could wait until later. Right now, though, they had to find Ava.

~...~...~

Ava drew in a deep and shaky breath, gently rubbing her arms in the hopes of warming up. Her wide, frantic eyes took in the scene around her once more. The school's pool closed at five PM so she knew no students would be coming any time soon. No one was coming to get her.

The red-haired teenager lowered her face into her arms and released a pain-filled squeak. Crying wouldn't do her any good, she knew that, but she simply couldn't help herself. She lifted her head and gave a small grunt, attempting to pull her large tail out of the water and onto the ridged floor. The flooring around the pool was designed for practicality and laid down to ensure no students would slip in their rush to dive into the water. Unfortunately for her all it did was scratch nastily at her scales, making it that much harder for her to move around.

Ava didn't usually hold any personal resentment towards her beloved tail. Even in the water it was a heavy weight but she was used to it, her aunt Melody had certainly made sure of that when she and her sisters were old enough to go swimming. Never before had she been forced to drag it around on land. It was a pointless and useless thing to learn, especially since she could easily just switch her tail back to legs after a bit of drying and a painless, simple transition. But this time was different. She didn't have a towel at hand this time, or the warm, sunny deck of the pier to help her dry off. It wouldn't have helped this time though, not after what Thalia and the other fairies had done.

From the day she was old enough to learn Ava had been told to be kind and never to judge others, and she had always stuck to those rules. She was good and she was nice to everyone no matter what. Coming to Auradon, though, had been her biggest wake-up call. She'd made the mistake of assuming everyone was like her, when really there was no one else. The other princesses were snobby and rude, often ranting or raving about the fact some prince hadn't given them the right courting gift, or because their skirt didn't match their necklace. When she first arrived she'd tried to be like that to fit in with the others, but it was an almost impossible task to complete. She didn't have a prince fighting for her attentions and she hardly ever cared what she wore outside of her room. She did what was comfortable for her and if she looked good then that was wonderful, but it never dampened her day if she didn't.

Uma's arrival in Auradon had changed things. Ava hadn't ever had a roommate before, but with all the children of the Isle coming to Auradon Prep they were seriously lacking in space. The VK's had certainly shaken up their peaceful world. The majority of the students had been anxious and irritated at the thought of more villains coming through, but Ava had been absolutely excited. It had been a little nerve-wracking to know that she was rooming with the daughter of her mother's enemy, but Mal and the others had eased the situation somewhat. After leaving the princesses to their own devices and living in her own little bubble Ava had thought things had been rather good in her life. She didn't have any pressure on her shoulders to live up to any expectations and people were, for the most part, nice enough to her. Things had been good, but after finally making friends with Uma she realised they could be so much better.

Ava's breathing become short and she had to sob once more. Her gills wouldn't allow her too much time out of the water and, whether she liked it or not, she had to go back in. With a few quick and sharp shuffles she was back in the pool, forced to breathe in the chlorinated water. The chemicals in the pool burned her eyes if she was under for too long and absolutely irritated her gills. There was a very, very good reason she and Uma stuck to swimming in the ocean and Ava knew that if the fairies had known how dangerous it was for her they never would have spelled her.

No one could have seen the day's events coming. Ava hadn't even expected Thalia to take it so far, but she had. After their argument and Thalia's little threat Ava had gone about her day as she usually would. She still sat with Uma at lunch and still talked to her before they went to sleep at night. She hadn't seen Queenie in a little while but she hadn't thought to push on that matter. Whatever Queenie had going on was her own business and, if the princess needed her, Ava would always be there to lend a helping hand. If her friends were ever sad or just having a bad day she'd do whatever she could to cheer them up, and even if it didn't she slept a little better at night knowing she at least tried. But maybe that was why she never saw it. Ava always tried to do what was best for her friends and hardly ever thought of herself, if she had she'd have taken Thalia's threat a little more seriously and could have prevented her current dilemma. But what was done was done, and she couldn't change that now.

Ava took in a large breath of fresh air as she lifted her head out of the water. She held tight to the railings on either side of the steps to enter the pool, her lilac and teal tail flowing and flickering in the water beneath her. Her brown orbs stared longingly at the door, the chemicals from the pool irritating her eyes and making it that much harder to stay awake. Swimming in itself was tiring, doubled thanks to her tail, but she couldn't just fall asleep. If she spent too long out of the water she'd suffocate and she dreaded to think what would happen if she stayed under the water for too long. All she could do was stay and wait, and pray to anyone that someone was coming for her.

~...~...~

Queenie chewed nervously at her thumbnail as she followed Uma and Harry through the school's hallways. Their attempts to find the little mermaid so far had been a complete failure. She hadn't been in the library or study hall, and the only option left was the pier. It could very well take all night to search the water, since Uma would have to do it alone and because it was getting dark, both facts dwindling their chances at finding their friend. But if it took all night to find Ava then Queenie was more than happy to do it. The mermaid was a wonderful friend and Queenie was not about to go back to her dorm room because the chances of finding her in the dark were slim, or because she was just tired. She'd been, at least in her own opinion, a terrible person for not speaking to Ava in two days and now was her chance to make up for it.

"I'm not gonna let ye jus' go swimmin' aroun' Auradon all bloody night, you'll drain yerself if ye do that!" Harry exclaimed.

"I have to find her, Harry. And I'm your Captain so you'll do what I say." Uma said back, her tone leaving no room for argument.

The princess stayed silent, a small part of her knowing better than to get between the Captain and first-mate. Since leaving her bedroom she felt more like a third wheel than anything else. Neither one had made any attempt to include her in the conversation, she even assumed they'd forgotten all about her. They had a thing going and no matter how uncomfortable she was Queenie didn't want to disrupt it.

"Would Ava have any enemies here? Anyone from the Isle?" Queenie asked, albeit with slight hesitance. After all, in the situation they were in anything could help, and it didn't seem as if they were getting anywhere with their little argument.

"Well I'm friends with her, and my mom's probably chopping up fish guts as we speak so that's a no." Uma said with a humourless scoff.

"What about here in Auradon?" Harry suggested.

"No one in Auradon would hurt Ava." Queenie immediately objected. "She was born here, they have no reason to hurt her." She added afterwards, her brows furrowing with annoyance as the pirate rolled his eyes. "They're not like you."

Queenie let out a groan as she felt her back hit the wall with a loud 'thud'. She'd regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth, but she hated them more now with Harry's fingers firmly wrapped around her neck. Their little moment in her room had made her forget just who she was dealing with and how quickly he could change from neutral to down-right murderous. It was an enormous mistake, and it was one she wouldn't be making again afterwards.

"Ye're a bloody idiot sometimes." Harry mumbled, leaning in until she had nothing left to do but stare back at him. "Ye're walkin' proof that these Bore-Adon assholes aren't as nice as they keep tellin' everyone. The Isle didn' take away yer memories, lass, someone here did. An' no one here is helpin' ye get them back, we are. So ye better change yer bloody tune about us. Ye're one of us, too, darlin' an' don' ye dare forget it." He seethed.

Queenie shifted as far as she could into the wall, giving Harry a small nod to let him know she'd heard every word. He switched back just as fast as he had before, that anger she was beginning to familiarize herself with melting into his usual, self-satisfied grin. He'd said what he had to and that was that, but she knew better. Just as she wouldn't forget what he said, he wouldn't forget what she had said first, and she knew full well he'd be more than happy to throw it back in her face if it had been someone from Auradon that caused their friend's disappearance. He was a bastard like that.

"You're right, Harry." Uma finally spoke up, and both heads turned. "There is someone." She continued, closing her hand into a fist to pound the wall beside her.

"Who?" Queenie asked curiously. Whoever Uma had in mind must have been a very good guess, otherwise she wouldn't have been so vexed.

"Thalia."

"Tinkerbell's daughter?"

"The only one." Uma confirmed.

"Why would Thalia hurt Ava? She hasn't done anything to piss off the fairies." Queenie pointed out. She couldn't deny that she was surprised, Ava was lovely and she never hurt anyone, so what reason could they have for doing something to her?

"There's a secret class only the Auradon-born were told about. A therapy group or something stupid like that. Ava's been going and the fairies aren't happy with the fact pirate's are here in Auradon." Uma explained.

"No one's happy with us being in Auradon. Audrey still doesn't like Mal for what her mom did, but she hasn't done anything drastic, and Audrey is the queen of turning a small, annoying situation into a full blown crisis. Ava hasn't done anything wrong, there's no way they'd do something to her." Queenie attempted to rationalise. The last thing any of them needed was Uma jumping to conclusions and stabbing someone, and it certainly wouldn't help Ava in any way.

"No, you don't get it. They wouldn't hurt Ava because she's directly done something wrong. But they would hurt her for hanging out with us." Uma flicked her index finger to gesture to herself and Harry.

"Do you really think the fairies are petty and cruel enough to go after an amazing person just because of who she's friends with?" Queenie asked with slight disbelief, only to be returned with a look from Uma that clearly said ' _Are you that much of an idiot?'_.

"How the hell did ye survive without me for so long?" Harry exclaimed, and Queenie turned back to him. "When ye get yer head back together I'm gonna remin' ye of this moment." He stated.

"Okay, I guess it couldn't hurt to at least talk to Thalia." Queenie said reluctantly. She really didn't want to go approaching the fairies, especially since they were only ones in Auradon allowed to use magic on school grounds. It was meant for educational purposes and for them to figure out what they were destined to do, but the princess still wasn't eager to find out what they could do with it if they felt threatened in any way.

"Good to see you on board, Q'. Now, where's Thalia's dorm room?" Uma asked quickly, placing a hand on her hip.

"Uh, you're kidding right?" Queenie wondered slowly. The two pirates shook their heads and she let out a small, nervous giggle. "Uma, Thalia's room is right next door to yours and Ava's."

"Really now?" The Captain muttered, staring at the princess in thought. "Then we better go find her."

~...~...~

The walk to Thalia's room went by faster than Queenie could have anticipated. Her anxiety had peaked on the way, the sudden urge to turn and flee nagging at the back of her mind. The fairies had always been a relatively harmless bunch, sticking together in groups of five or more, and never using their magic around the other students at Auradon Prep. They kept themselves to themselves and very rarely would she see one without another close by. It wasn't too hard to understand why the fairies had been shaken by the appearance of pirate's, but taking it out on Ava was not the way to go. If it had been Harry they messed with then Queenie wouldn't have given it a second thought. He was an enormous douche and his father had caused a lot of trouble for Thalia's mother, so a brewing war between the two could've been seen a mile off. But Ava was an auradon-born with a beautiful personality, and the princess couldn't stand the thought of the fairies doing something to hurt her. She just hoped she was right, because if she wasn't then Uma would definitely be getting kicked out of Auradon.

"This one, right?" Uma asked, standing in front of a numbered door. She looked at Queenie who stood close behind Harry, still undecided on what she was doing with herself.

"Yup." Queenie confirmed quietly, giving a small nod.

Uma smiled and before Queenie even had time to think, the teal-haired VK had already twisted the doorknob and walked straight into the room, her first-mate coming in right behind her.

At the sound of Thalia's ear-shattering scream, Queenie took a quick look around the hallway, staying outside a little longer to make sure no one would come out of their rooms to see what was going on. When she was somewhat satisfied, and slightly disturbed, by the knowledge that no one was going to check in she entered the dorm room herself, closing Thalia's door behind her.

"Where the fuck is Ava?!"

Queenie turned around at Uma's loud yell and her eyes widened at the scene in front of her. Harry had Thalia up against the wall beside her bed, his forearm across her chest to keep her from moving with the sharp tip of his hook pressed against the skin of her neck. Uma was right beside the two, her face intimidatingly close to the fairy's in an attempt to pull out any information, clearly by using any means necessary. The pirates didn't care if Thalia was a fairy, Queenie assumed they didn't know about the magic they held, and they were on a mission. It was a little terrifying to watch, and Queenie was beginning to have an idea of how they ruled the Isle. No one in their right mind would be stupid enough to risk getting on the wrong side of both Harry and Uma.

"Guys!" Queenie cried, running towards the soon-to-be-violent altercation in the hopes of calming it down. "You can't do shit like this here." She hissed to the two pirates, her fearful gaze often travelling back towards the door at the risk of someone barging in.

"She knows where Ava is." Uma stated firmly, and Queenie flinched at the utter hate in the girls expression when she looked at Thalia. Uma had always been a grumpy person, very rarely smiling unless it was at the down-fall of someone else, but Queenie had never seen her this angry. Overprotective was an under-statement, and pirate's clearly took it to the next level.

Harry chuckled and pressed his hook in further, the pointy tip drawing a slight scratch down the fairy's neck. Queenie had to think fast. Uma was the level-headed one out of the two and she was practically fuming, only a few steps away from tipping over the edge. But Queenie knew, even after only knowing him for more than a week, that Harry was all too quick to resort to violence. He'd been so close to throwing her in the ocean even with his Captain's protection, and she dreaded to know what he'd do if Uma gave him the okay to hurt Thalia.

"Uma you can't just hurt her until she tells you what you want to know." Queenie urged the easier VK. Things were going to turn bad and they were going to go down quick if she didn't do something.

"Why not? Look at her." The Captain demanded, and Queenie did as asked. The fear in Thalia's eyes was the most obvious of all, the way she trembled and shook from head to toe and didn't even try to hide it. Not that Queenie could blame her. The princess had been on the end of Harry's hook more than a few times and even she'd been terrified. But Uma did make a good point. The fairy couldn't meet eyes with any of them, a clear sign that she was either guilty of doing something, or she knew something.

"If you do something now you're going to regret it. Someone's going to find Thalia and she's going to tell them what happened. You'll be sent back to the Isle, Uma, and Ava will be on her own for good. They don't do second chances here, not the elders anyway, and this is a punishable offence." Queenie said loudly. It wasn't hard to see how much Uma cared about Ava, and using it against her was a bit of a bitch move, but it had to be done. After all, she was right. And Uma knew it too.

"I can do it." Harry shrugged indifferently. "I'm used ta this." He muttered.

"You wanna go back to the Isle, Harry?" Queenie wondered with obvious scepticism.

"I don' bloody care about goin' back. I was a fuckin' king over there."

"A king without a queen is a very lonely king. If you get thrown back on the Isle I'll stay here. You won't get your princess back and all of this will have been for nothing." The princess said gently. Uma had slowly withdrawn from the fairy, and now it was Harry's turn to relent. "Please, don't leave me on my own again." Queenie pleaded.

Harry paused and stared hard at the fairy in front of him, his brows furrowed as he thought over Queenie's words. She wasn't playing a game and hoping for the best by enticing his better side, she was only telling him what she really wanted to say, and it just so happened to be at the right moment. He'd been messing with her mind since the day he came. He'd made her laugh, made her cry and almost everything in between, and the thought of him leaving her for good left her with a sudden ache in her chest. Maybe it was the girl inside of her, or maybe it was just her, but neither wanted him gone completely.

"Fine."

Queenie let out a breath of relief, uncaring of how irritated Harry was at the fact he couldn't hurt Thalia. He'd turned away from it because Queenie had begged him to, and that was good enough.

"Thank you." Queenie sighed gratefully. She watched with a wary gaze as he walked towards his Captain, only looking away once she was content with the distance between him and Thalia.

"What do we do with her?" Harry asked his Captain, nodding towards the fairy on the floor.

"Thalia." Queenie called lightly, not wanting to scare the girl further. She crouched down to her level, happy to see that Harry hadn't done any permanent damage. "Do you know what happened to Ava?" She asked, making sure her voice was as clear as it could be.

"I-It was just a prank, I swear." Thalia cried, the adrenaline wearing off and leaving nothing but an overwhelming sadness and realisation of just how bad things could have gone in that moment. Queenie knew it all too well, but she had to admit that seeing it on someone else was much better than going through it herself.

"What did you do?" Queenie asked further. They were in a bit of a rush but she had to take things slow if she was going to get anything from the fairy.

"We use it on each other all the time. It's a little spell, brings out a persons true form and doesn't let them turn back for a few hours. With us it makes us shrink, brings out our wings, but it doesn't hurt. We were just mad that she was hanging with...well, them!" Thalia exclaimed with disgust, waving a hand towards Harry and Uma.

"I think the little thing has a death wish." Harry taunted, moving as if he was going to come back to her again. He was only toying with her, but Thalia didn't know that.

"Sit down, Harry." Uma scolded, giving him a swift hit to the arm.

"Thalia, where did you last see Ava?" Queenie inquired, pulling the fairy's attention back to her.

"She was running to the pool. The spell should wear off soon, plus she's a mermaid." Thalia said offhandedly, and Queenie winced. She looked back at Uma, who was less-than-pleased with Thalia's lack of sympathy in the matter.

"Uma," Queenie warned nervously. She couldn't blame Uma for being so mad, but she couldn't blame Thalia either. No one knew what putting a mermaid in chlorinated water would do, not unless they'd seen it first-hand or been told by someone of that nature. Queenie hadn't even known until Ava told her after a girls-night-in that turned into a Q&A.

The Captain stood and slowly paced in the room, often glaring daggers at the fairy. It seemed she was so full of rage that she didn't know whether to go find Ava, or beat the living shit out of Thalia.

"Uma please go, just find Ava and make sure she's okay. Harry and I can deal with Thalia. You have to find her now." Queenie begged. She knew that in any other situation Uma would have gladly stayed, just to prove a point if nothing else. But Ava had been gone for a while, and there was a good chance she was already on her last legs, so to speak.

Thankfully, Uma knew a desperate situation when it made itself known. She turned and left the room without another word, rushing to find their friend. In the meantime, Queenie and Harry were left with Thalia, who was beginning to return back to her normal self.

"So, what do we do with her then, lass?" Harry inquired.

Queenie pursed her lips in thought. She stared at Thalia, her mind flowing with possibilities, both good and bad, as the fairy stared back at her. Queenie let her eyes roam about the room until she spotted something just on top of Thalia's desk. A small, brown pouch, filled with something that glittered and glowed.

"Bring that over, please." Queenie requested, pointing to the object that'd gotten her attention.

Harry gave her a confused look, but nodded none the less. He trailed his way over to the desk and gripped the pouch, making sure to take a quick peak inside as he brought it over to the princess. He knelt down to Queenie's level once he was close enough, his eyes flickering over every inch of her face to figure out what she was thinking.

"You know what this is, Harry?" Queenie asked him, lowering her hand to grasp something she'd only ever read about in books. It felt like sand, the majority falling through her fingers until only a few particles attached themselves to her skin.

"Oh, I know what this is, love." Harry said back, attempting to conceal the grin threatening to make its way back to the surface. "What I wanna know, is what ye're gonna do with it."

Queenie attempted to remain indifferent, but it was so hard to do when he was looking at her like that. She wasn't a bad person. The thought of hurting someone, anyone, without reason or cause made her feel sick to her stomach. She didn't like violence and she loathed bullies. However, the fact that her best friend was suffering in the Auradon pool just because she was nice enough to make friends with pirates filled Queenie with a much, much different feeling than she was used to. It was like her temper was peaking again, that swallowing wave of utter fury and resentment taking over until it clouded every other emotion. Only this time it was aimed at one, very specific, person. And that person was Thalia.

"I am going to see how powerful this stuff really is." Queenie admitted freely, a hidden, darker part of her revelling in the way Thalia shivered and tried to hide herself away. "You in?" She asked the first-mate, raising her hand to show him the beautiful, gleaming dots that had stuck to her fingers and palm.

"Oh, my little princess." Harry whispered. He leaned in close and pressed his forehead against hers, his right hand gripping her neck so she had no other choice but to stay where she was. This was Harry's definition of affectionate, and he showed it so rarely that Queenie had to take a minute to fully comprehend what was going on. "I've been waitin' for _you._ "

* * *

 **AN**

 **Hello readers! Just me again. I know I said I was going to have some Uma/Ava in this chapter but things kind of dragged out and I didn't want to stretch everything too much. So big apologies if you were looking for that in here. I do promise that it will be in the next chapter though.**

 **Just a few little things I should mention. I feel like I've been painting a pretty bad picture on Fairy Godmother when that wasn't my original intention. She's not a bad person, really! But I feel like things with the older generation are a bit different in Auradon. They're happy with how they do things and it's a kind of 'my-way-or-the-highway' thing with them, so just keep in mind that F.G. isn't a big enemy here. Also, Queenie and Harry won't be killing Thalia. Queenie is a good person but, like a lot of people, her friends getting hurt for no reason is a big no-no. Especially Ava, since she'd like the baby-sister of the group. Also, I know the ending to this was a bit twisted, but Harry and Queenie have been so up and down in this fic that they needed a little, nice moment. Or as nice as things can get between these two.**

 **Anyway, make sure to leave a review or PM me to let me know what you guys thought. Big thanks to all who've reviewed, favourited and followed this story. You guys are absolutely amazing and have really helped me keep up with this story, and deal with the writer's-block I've been dealing with lately. So much love to you all.**

 **Any typo's will be removed once I've had a proper read through.**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN**

 **Hi guys! Just me. Small warning for this chapter I suppose. I guess there's a slight sexual situation towards the end? I'm not sure if you guys would class it as such a thing but I'm going to put this here for safety reasons.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Uma ran as fast as she could through the Auradon Prep hallways, the boots on her feet clunking against the ground with each step she took. She shoved, yelled and pushed any innocent bystander unlucky enough to get in her way as she travelled, having neither the energy or patience to even mutter a simple apology as she went. An all-too-familiar part of her cursed her short legs, knowing full well if she'd have been taller she'd get there sooner. But taking any frustration out on herself wasn't healthy and it certainly wouldn't help her get to Ava any faster. All she could do was run.

It didn't take long to arrive at the pool, but it had taken longer than Uma would have liked. Soon enough she came to the double doors leading into the room. She ignored the large sign nailed to the door warning people away after hours and gave a large shove, rushing in and ignoring the deafening 'bang' they made as they struck the walls.

"Ava!" She called out, walking along the edge of the pool. Her unease grew heavy at the sight of an empty room and she wondered if, by some miracle, someone had already found the little mermaid.

Uma let out a sigh of frustration and crouched down on the wet floor, taking some time to regulate her breathing as she attempted to think. Queenie and Harry were with Thalia, and Gil was waiting back at her dorm room, so as far as she knew no one she even slightly trusted with the princess had found her. But if that was the case, then where the hell was she?

A loud and sudden splash rang out and Uma quickly looked up. She let out a breath of relief as she spotted the ripples in the water in the middle of the pool. She really should have taken a longer look at the pool itself instead of the surrounding area.

In a matter of seconds Uma saw that familiar head of long and red hair, followed by Ava's beautifully coloured tail. She wondered if the little mermaid had even heard her, since she was still swimming underneath the surface of the water and right at the bottom of the pool. The princess was always so eager to rush over and make herself known but it now seemed as if she was taking her time, something she never did in any other circumstance.

With Ava somewhat distracted, Uma took this time to fully focus better on the mermaid's movements. Ava's energetic personality showed both on dry land, and in the water. When she was firmly placed on two legs she was often fidgety, her small frame swaying from side to side as she talked, her eyes flickering and glancing at nothing in particular. It was rare for her to stay in one place for too long unless she was talking, which Uma had noticed was just another way for her to release that pent up energy. Ava was a walking, talking ball of pure happiness. In the beginning it had seriously gotten on Uma's nerves and, as a way of passing time, the VK had sometimes given little jabs here and there to see if anything could stop the girl from talking or being so joyful, but nothing had worked. Nothing the villain said to Ava could take her down from whatever cloud she'd climbed up onto, and like everything else Uma had simply gotten used to it.

Under the water things were much the same with Ava. It didn't seem to matter that every movement was slower, or that she didn't move quite so quickly with the weight of her tail. She was exactly the same. She swam so gracefully, always twisting around and spinning as if nothing could make her happier. Finding anything shiny or colourful in the ocean brightened that untameable spirit of hers. Ava always managed to find something on her wanders just outside of the Auradon pier, sometimes abandoned shells and clams or even small pebbles. If it caught her eager eyes, she was taking it home. She had a very specific shelf for things like that, and since moving into the dorm room Uma had been forced to help her put up a new shelf, knowing that if the little mermaid brought anything else home then it was sure to collapse.

Uma was the reigning champion of pointing out things that were out of place and this was no different. Ava didn't twirl or spin and there was no obvious enthusiasm in her movements either. She was slow, her arms retracting back to her body before she put them out to swim again. She wasn't swimming because she wanted to, she was swimming because she _had_ to.

An awful wave of dread washed over Uma at the realisation that Ava may have heard her. It meant that the little one wasn't still under the water by choice.

In a heartbeat the VK was in the water. She kept her head just above the surface, refusing to breathe in the chemicals of the pool until she absolutely had to. She waited for her lower half to change, her eyes closed as she tried not to fight the inevitable. Even now it was a strange and slightly unsettling sensation. Back on the Isle she hadn't been able to use it much. The waters around the Isle itself were always murky and dark, filled with things she'd happily go forever without seeing again, and the chances of being caught in someone's net were high. Only after the barrier came down did she truly realise just how useful the strange legs, or arms, were. They'd gotten her through the barrier faster than swimming normally would have and they'd taken her to Auradon without a scratch. It was only fair for her to let them stretch every once in a while. But it didn't mean she always had to enjoy it.

After a few seconds the feeling faded, and Uma elongated her arms as far as they could go. Due to the depth of the pool, however, she couldn't reach Ava. She had to go under.

Uma took in a deep, long breath of clean air and plunged herself under. She used the two legs behind her to push her deeper down, carrying on until she was confident that she could reach her friend. She stretched out two of her front legs, a part of her hoping the little mermaid could see them and would take hold.

With whatever remaining strength Ava had left, she managed to firmly grasp the legs being held out to her and, as soon as she was sure Ava wouldn't go slipping away, Uma pulled herself back up, the remaining legs wrapping around the mermaids tail.

Ava came out of the water coughing and spluttering, her eyes shut tight as she gagged. Her small hands held the legs around her with a vice grip, her knuckles whitening as she held tight. Each breath she took was long and gasped, as if someone had suffocated her and only just been kind enough to let her breathe.

Uma, now content with the knowledge that her friend was near and safe, let herself relax. She gently pulled Ava closer to the edge of the pool, her legs lessening their grip but not loosening completely when the little one laid her forearms on the ground. She watched with an apprehensive gaze as Ava calmed her breathing, laying her head on her arms while her eyelids fluttered and blinked frantically. When they opened fully, Uma could see the redness of the whites in Ava's eyes, the more irritating aspects of spending so much time in chlorinated water making themselves known. Ava's gills, usually as clear and pale as the mermaid's skin, were a little swollen and sore around the edges. These were only the physical tells, and Uma dreaded to think of what was going on internally.

"Hey there." The teal-haired VK greeted softly. It wasn't her favourite tone of voice to use, usually since sarcasm and obvious disinterest were her top picks, but when the moment came to it even she sometimes had to be nice. She was just happy it wasn't to calm down one of Harry's many, many tantrums.

Ava's lips twitched at the corners, her attempts at giving a smile not lost on the VK. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out, and instead she gave a small, apologetic shrug.

"You okay?" Uma asked instead, noticing the struggle it brought her friend to even muster a small 'hi'. When all of this was done, she was definitely going back to see the fairy.

Ava moved her head up and down and Uma smiled. She hadn't forgotten the slightly disturbing and heart-stopping fear she'd endured on her run down to the pool. If anything she knew it would be a reminder. A warning that just because things were better in Auradon, it didn't mean they were away from all of the dangers. The Isle was just more obvious about it. In Auradon there was a capable attack around every corner, hidden beneath a pretty face and a false smile. Uma had made the stupid mistake of letting herself relax when it came to Ava, her Isle-way of thinking tamed in some way to feel confident enough that no one would hurt her friend because she was Auradon-Born. But she'd been much too naïve. Auradon only painted itself as good, reassuring everyone else that it was a safe and comfortable place to live when in reality it was just as risky as the Isle. Worse even, since Auradon had its own weapon. Magic.

However, the lovely little slap-in-the-face of Auradon being dangerous wasn't all that had the VK reeling. That surge of impending doom and rush of adrenaline at the fairy telling her where Ava had gone had scared her the most. Ava was uneasily similar to how Queenie was on the Isle. She wasn't shy or timid in the same way, but there was an innocence there that both had. An aura they gave off that drew in both protectors and threats. Both were incapable of defending themselves from a dangerous situation and both relied on the strength of another to help them get back up. For so long Uma had teased Harry about his fondness for Queenie, relentlessly made little jokes about the princess when she was particularly bored and in need of someone to push. She hadn't ever seen the appeal of being with someone who was weak and kind, especially since they were well-known on the Isle for their wickedness and reigning dominance over the lesser being. Uma had to wonder if she was going insane from being in Auradon for so long, but an abandoned part of her could now sympathise with her first-mate for being so overly protective of Queenie when she was on the Isle. Because this time it wasn't Harry's little princess being put at risk, it was Uma's. And that thought worried her far more than anything ever could or would.

"U-Uma." Ava managed to say, her throat scratchy and her words whispered and strained.

"Yeah?" The VK muttered half-heartedly, her flow of thought consuming her far too much for her to concentrate fully on what Ava was saying.

"Are you okay?" The mermaid asked, the worry in her tone obvious despite the effort it took her to ask it.

Uma raised her brows in disbelief. Even after everything Ava had experienced in the past few hours, she was still checking to make sure someone else was doing okay. It was a selflessness Uma wasn't used to from someone who wasn't her first-mate or crew member and she struggled to not try and find some hidden meaning behind it. She'd always be wary of other people, the Isle had certainly made sure of that and it was carved into her mind like Harry's 'hook' was into Queenie's chest, but she had to remind herself that this was Ava she was dealing with. A little mermaid who, despite everything going on around her, still made it her life's task to make sure her friends were well and happy. So while Uma wasn't accustomed to such kindness from others, she knew she had to just deal with it.

"Well that depends." Uma sighed, moving to mirror the mermaids position.

"On what?" Ava asked curiously.

"Are you okay? I mean, are you really okay? No bullshit this time."

"I don't know." The red-head confessed, shakily lifting her head. "I-I just," Ava paused, her eyes glazing over as she thought hard about something or other. And while Uma wasn't too sure what was going through that pretty little head, from Ava's conflicted expression alone the VK could only assume it was something bad.

"A', it's alright." Uma reassured. She threw away all caution and reached out a lone tentacle, gently moving a long and wet strand of Ava's long red hair behind the little ones ear. She knew she was swimming deeper into dangerous waters and she could only hope Ava wouldn't go running. She wanted to calm her friend, not scare her away.

It came as quite a surprise when instead of sharply moving her head away, Ava instead tilted her face to the right. Her eyes closed and she held a small, timid smile on her face, as if this simple touch was a welcomed relief.

"I'm trying so hard." Ava finally whispered, re-opening her eyes to stare at the girl in front of her. "I couldn't fit in with them all, so I kept my distance. I'm good. I do a lot for anyone if I can and I just don't understand why they'd do this. I didn't do anything bad, I was myself with you guys like I am with everyone else and they didn't like it. But this is... I just can't understand." She explained as best as she could.

"None of us did." Uma said firmly. "They didn't do this because _you're_ a bad person, A'. They did this because they don't like pirates." She added afterwards, trying to get through to the little one that she wasn't at fault. That she wasn't a bad person.

"Thalia warned me to stay away from you guys, before all of this." Ava admitted with a wince, bowing her head to instead look at her tail. Or, more specifically, Uma's tentacles wrapped around her tail.

Uma glanced over Ava with a puzzled face. The little one was nervous, that much was obvious, but the VK couldn't quite determine what had her that way. And that wasn't all that had Uma in a state of utter bewilderment. The fairies had given Ava a choice before this, a chance to leave the pirates to themselves and join in with the rest of the Auradon-Born, and she'd rejected it. But why?

"They said that if I wasn't with them in this, then I was against them. I should've seen this coming, but I didn't. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Ava divulged shamefully, meeting the VK's gaze with some reluctance.

"It's okay to keep secrets, A'." Uma said after a moment of silence. She'd really been trying to comprehend the fact that, even with a threat like that against her, Ava had actually chosen them over the other Auradon-Born. It was a big step to take, especially for someone as small and fragile as Ava. "Secrets are healthy sometimes." The Captain continued. "Harry kept things from me on the Isle and he's my best friend, and we're still good. But if it's possibly dangerous then trust me when I say it's not worth keeping. You could have told me, I would've tried to help."

"You would have gone in there swords blazing." Ava giggled, and Uma rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Why didn't you go to Queenie?" Uma countered with a raised brow. She was a bit of a wild-card sometimes and no one was denying that, but Queenie was much the same as Ava. Quiet, well-mannered and downright 'good'. There was no reason for Ava not to have gone to her with this information.

"Queenie won't ever admit it, but I know she's dealing with her own things. She's always off in some other world when we're talking. I don't know why but I really didn't want to bother her with this. I wanted to take care of it by myself." Ava explained. "I guess I didn't do a very good job."

Uma opened her mouth as she attempted to form a good enough reply, but found the chance taken away as Ava went into another topic.

"I know you guys are keeping something from me." The mermaid muttered sadly. "I don't mind, really. I-I just miss hanging out with you guys."

"There's something going on with Q', and it's something big. But it's not so big that we couldn't spend some time with you." Uma said with a small sigh. She could have lied. She could have said that nothing was happening, that they were all just busy with their lives, but why would she? Nothing could be gained from lying to Ava, especially since her own had turned on her so viciously. She needed to know. She _deserved_ to know.

"I know I should've said something. I just don't like to bother people too much."

"That's bullshit." Uma snorted. Ava gave her a wide-eyed, questioning stare and the VK decided to elaborate further. "How long did you chase me around?" She re-counted, enjoying the small blush that dusted Ava's cheeks.

"That's not the same!" The mermaid exclaimed with slight embarrassment, covering her eyes with her hands. "I didn't know you then. I wanted to know you, to help you fit in around here. And now that we're friends, I don't wanna lose you."

Uma furrowed her brows and looked away. Friends. Such a small and harmless word yet used in the right context it could spiral so many terrible possibilities. She and Ava were friends in the most basic of ways, but for Uma it had twisted itself into something different. On the Isle things were much simpler. If she enjoyed being around someone she gave them an offer and that was that. But Auradon had screwed her over once again. Everything she tried to ignore always came back to bite her in the ass and this was one of those moments. Ava only saw her as a friend, while Uma saw Ava in a much different light. She was somewhat used to losing by now, but it didn't dull the sting any less.

"Well you're not gonna lose me." Uma told the little mermaid, realising that while she'd gone off into her thoughts again Ava had been awaiting a reply.

"Good." Ava beamed, her forlorn expression instantaneously melting into one of utter happiness. Like usual. "You're wearing your braids down." She noted, as if she'd only just realised that small fact.

"Uh, yeah." Uma stuttered, slightly taken aback by the switch.

"I like it. You look more like yourself, like you did when you came here."

"You don't like my hair?" Uma teased light-heartedly, a small grin tugging at her lips.

"I love it. Look, the colour's in my tail." Ava twisted around in Uma's grip, lifting her tail as best as she could. "See?" The mermaid said happily.

"I see it." Uma confirmed. While her own legs were a simple teal, Ava's tail was a blended and beautiful mixture of teal and lilac. "Can I touch it?" Uma asked with hesitance. Usually she wouldn't give it a second thought, but this was Ava. Her friend. She'd already slipped up with the hair thing a few minutes ago and she knew that anything else would give her away.

Ava didn't give a reply. She nodded her head and Uma helped her lift her tail above the water, knowing that while fresh air was doing the little one some good, she wasn't fully healed just yet.

Uma warily moved in closer and lifted her normal hand. She'd always been a little curious as to what a mermaids tail felt like. Was it as slippery and smooth as her tentacle legs? Or was it different? She hadn't thought to ask before. But they were alone now, and that small itch in the back of her mind had to be scratched and soothed.

"It won't bite you." Ava quietly joked. She impatiently took Uma's hand into her own, giving no thought to the small flinch from the VK, and lowered their hands onto her tail.

Uma didn't have enough time to overreact on Ava's little movement. Before she knew it the mermaids hand wasn't even there. All she could feel was a slimy and bumpy surface. Not entirely uncomfortable, but a little strange.

"You know what you smell like?" Ava wondered strangely.

"Chlorine?" Uma chuckled, withdrawing her hand from the little ones tail. She was somewhat easily satisfied. Once those curiosities were put to rest she had no reason to keep anything up, and she didn't want to keep touching the tail at the risk of things getting a little too weird.

"Nope." Ava objected, making sure to pop the 'P'. "You smell like salt-water, and something else."

"Like what?" Uma inquired seriously, a frown making its way onto her face. A part of her already knew what was about to come out of the girls mouth. It was a nose-wrinkling smell she'd lived with for so long and had been constantly teased for. A disgusting odour that constantly reminded her of the betrayal she'd felt when she was younger. Becoming a Captain had earned her respect and fear but it couldn't take away everything. She'd worked in her mothers fish shop for years and the Isle's only way of getting clean was the ocean around it, and that wasn't much better. It was only now that they were in Auradon that she was able to conceal it somewhat, with numerous shampoos, conditioners and body-sprays. Plus hot showers and baths that they didn't have access to over on the Isle. It'd dulled, but it was still there.

"You smell like-" Ava stopped suddenly in her thoughtful rant. Her orbs searched Uma's face and then met her eyes. "The ocean." Was what she finally settled on. "It makes you...well, you! And it's awesome." Ava carried on afterwards with a kind smile.

"It doesn't bother you?" Uma asked with slight suspicion. She knew very well that 'the ocean' was not the word Ava was about to use, and though she was thankful the mermaid hadn't come right out and said the dreaded word, she had to know more.

Ava nodded and came closer. A little too close, in Uma's opinion. It was like she was about to tell some big, life-changing secret, but it threw the VK through a loop. Uma could just thank her first-mate for having no respect for boundaries, otherwise she wouldn't have been so self-controlled in that moment.

"Not one bit." The mermaid whispered.

The sudden and drowning tension was almost unbearable. Uma found it particularly irritating. So close and she couldn't do a damn thing about it. Was she a little resentful? Yes. She really wanted to claim the little mermaid, more so now than ever before. Not in the way Harry had with Queenie, however. Their relationship was breaking the boundaries and pushing at the brink of insanity. The Captain loved her first-mate dearly but even she had to admit it was a little messed up. But it was still something. It was a reciprocated kind of passion that those two had, a new kind of love that no one in the entirety of Auradon could begin to understand or strive for. Harry gave Queenie his worst more than his best and the princess of hearts was still enamoured with him. It wasn't fair.

Before anything could be done by either one, the doors to the pool banged against the wall, breaking up whatever had been started in the first place.

"Didn' mean ta interrupt, Captain." An accented voice said loudly.

Uma looked over at her best friend and first-mate, his princess coming in close behind him. She found her interests piqued at the sight of them. Something had changed.

"Just in time, actually." Uma said with feigned nonchalance. She was a little grateful for the interruption, if not slightly aggravated. "We need to get this one into the ocean." She said, her head gesturing towards Ava.

"Actually we don't." Queenie spoke up, bouncing on her feet as she held a small brown pouch in her hands. "This is...was, Thalia's. She said I could borrow it." The brown-haired princess said as she came forward, kneeling on the damp floor.

"What is it?" Ava asked, stretching and straining in a poor attempt to see what the contents were.

"Pixie dust." Queenie explained proudly. "Some of this sprinkled on your tail should reverse the effects. That's what Thalia said anyway." She mumbled, seemingly a little unsure if she wanted to take the risk of following the fairies instructions.

"I'll try it. I can't go back under again and the air's getting a little stuffy up here." Ava admitted with a grimace, her anxious eyes darting towards the water.

"Harry, get over here. Help me get her out of the water." Uma called her first-mate. His attentions, she realised with an annoyed sigh, had turned fully to Ava's tail.

"Harry." Queenie tried with a softer voice. It didn't work.

"First-mate!" Uma shouted loudly.

It worked. Harry jumped and pulled himself out of whatever trance he'd been in, rushing over to help the females.

Uma tightened her grip on Ava's tail and pushed, the entire act smoothened out slightly by Harry gripping beneath Ava's arms and pulling. A few push and pulls later and the mermaid was safely away from the water, shuffled away to the closest wall by Harry.

The princess of hearts crouched down beside her friend, dipping her hand into the pouch. All watched with eager and attentive eyes, two more curious than the other to see what it was Queenie held.

"Please work." Queenie whispered, more to herself than them. She opened her hand to show the glimmering dust, taking a small breath before she blew gently onto the golden particles, covering as much of Ava's tail as she could in the strong hopes that the powerful magic would work.

Luck was on their side this time, it seemed. The powder worked itself quick enough, Ava's wonderful mermaid tail shifting back into two legs with an almost blinding glow of gold.

"It worked." Ava laughed with relief.

Uma pulled herself out of the water and brought her own two legs back. She got to her feet and came towards the three, her wandering gaze often coming back to the pouch Queenie still held. Pixie dust. She'd never seen it herself before but she knew very well from countless discussions with Harry how powerful it was. When everything was done and they finally decided to leave Auradon Prep, the dust would be very useful in aiding their journey.

"What 'appens now?" Harry wondered out loud and to no one in particular.

"Well I don't know about you guys," Uma spoke, motioning to Harry and Queenie. She held out a hand to Ava, helping the girl to her wobbly feet. "But we're going back to our dorm room. But we'll speak in the morning." The Captain's tone was calm and casual, but the look she gave Harry told a little different. They _had_ to talk in the morning.

"O' course Captain." Harry replied, replying to Uma's action with one of his own. A small and sharp nod.

"Bye guys." Ava said sweetly, earning a few waves in return. She hobbled out of the room with Uma, her legs attempting to adjust to the strange sensation of being brought back so quickly and after so many hours.

"How you feeling?" Uma asked the mermaid as they travelled through the empty hallway.

"I'm good. Thank you, though. For coming for me." Ava sighed tiredly, her head falling onto Uma's shoulder.

"Anytime princess."

~...~...~

Queenie pushed her dorm room door open with the last of her strength, her body fighting the exhaustion threatening to take over. It truly had been a very, very long day.

The young princess fell down onto her bed with a groan of content. She shuffled and moved further into the plush blankets and mattress, her mind quieted for the first time in a few days.

A much bigger form fell down beside hers and she smiled slightly, closing her eyes as she relaxed even further. She had absolutely no idea what had somehow changed between her and the pirate, and maybe she never would. Either way, her best friend was safe and protected and things were as calm as they ever could be between her and the first-mate. Her world was finally at peace. If it ended in an hour or even a day, at least she was finally having this moment.

"I've seen pixie dust an' a mermaid in a very short space of time, but I'm already startin' ta see why my dad went a bit tapped over in Neverland." Harry spoke up.

Queenie giggled and opened her eyes, a little startled to see how close his face was to hers. She didn't have to search to meet the blue she was often so fond of, because they were already looking straight at her.

"You had fun though." She pointed out with a knowing smirk, lifting her left arm above her head to toy with her hair.

"That I did princess." Harry replied with a grin of his own. He turned to lay on his right side, his un-hooked hand moving to thread his fingers through Queenie's brown strands.

The princess bit at her bottom lip and closed her eyes at Harry's ministrations, freely allowing him do as he pleased so long as he wasn't hurting her. Queenie felt that, in some weird way, their earlier torment on Thalia had helped Harry relieve himself of some frustrations, easing him in some form or another. In some twisted and slightly sadistic way it had brought the two a little closer, at least to Queenie anyway. Her mind had been put at rest after releasing some of her own pent up aggression and she wondered if it was the same for him. They'd gotten it all out together, and were now revelling in the wonderful aftermath together. It would all come back eventually, she knew that, but at least for now it was gone. Only an unending sensation of a weight being lifted and something akin to euphoria left behind.

"Harry?" Queenie whispered. Her eyes remained closed, but she heard his small 'hum' that let her know he was listening. "I have to tell you something."

The hand that had been working her head so delicately stopped, and Queenie opened her eyes. He wasn't angry with her for interrupting their small moment and for that she was grateful. She'd have hated for him to go back to the way he was sooner than she'd have liked because she couldn't keep quiet. He was simply unreadable. If he was mad at her then she'd definitely know it, but this wasn't that. He just seemed curious.

"I-I'm not like you, Harry. I can't hurt people like this all the time. What we did to Thalia wasn't terrible but we could get sent back to the Isle for it. Especially you. I can't go around knocking people down and hurting them when they don't deserve it." Queenie said quietly, attempting to search his face for anything recognizable. The last thing she wanted to do was push him away from her somehow, but he had to know that this wasn't who she was. Not all the time, anyway.

Harry brought his hand back to his side and pushed himself up onto his hands. She followed his actions, mirroring them exactly until they were twisted awkwardly to face each other.

"I know ye're not like me, love. Ye never have been." Harry said simply, and Queenie furrowed her brows with slight confusion. "Even on the Isle. Ye were so fun ta play with, lass. So quiet an' shy aroun' everyone else, an' only I knew of yer little temper. It made things interestin'."

"You're not mad that I'm not evil?" She asked, a little sceptical of how unaffected he was. She'd prepared herself for something worse and now that it wasn't coming she felt a little unsettled.

"O' course I'm not mad. I was a little disappointed." He admitted with a chuckle, tilting his head slightly. "Ye're both. Nice when yer calm an' amazingly nasty when someone pisses ye off. That's a fun little trick all together, princess." Harry told her, staring at her with amusement. "Like a coin, ye toss it an' ye never know what ye're gonna get."

Queenie remained silent as she pondered his words. Two sides of the same coin. Good and bad. A foreign concept. She'd spent a good while assuming you could only be one or the other. The Isle or Auradon. Could Harry be right? Could she honestly be the person she was now and the person she would often sway towards in the darker sides of her mind?

"If I'm a coin then what does that make you?" She asked him.

Harry's smile widened and Queenie faltered. His smiles and grins often differed but this one she knew a little too well.

A small and sharp breath forced its way out of Queenie's chest as she found herself laying on her back once more. Her brown eyes widened as she stared at the pirate above her, her facial features enough to translate exactly what she found herself unable to voice. What the hell was he doing?

"Ye wanna know what I am, love?" He muttered, using the hands on either side of her head to lower himself down and between her legs, his face slowly inching towards her own.

"Harry?" Queenie managed to question. She didn't feel threatened or uncomfortable in any way, far from it in fact. Her stomach churned with unknown and strangely delightful tingles growing larger by the second. Her palms became so sweaty that she had to clench them shut. Her heart beat erratically against her chest and she had absolutely no idea if she wanted to run or stay. It was odd and unsettling, but in some messed up way she was enjoying it. She must have been going mad.

"I'm a hook, lass." Harry told her when he felt they were close enough. He kept the majority of his weight off of her, his chest a little heavier against her own until he could feel her heart thumping. His hands slowly moving to feel her hair in his fingers. The tip of his nose nudging at her own with precise movements.

Queenie waited patiently for Harry to do whatever it was he had set out to do, but he didn't. Instead of making that last little nudge towards her like she knew he wanted to do, he was hesitating. His lips were dangerously close to her own, so close in fact that she could feel his laboured breaths. She had absolutely no idea what he was waiting for so she looked. Harry's pupils were blown and he seemed just as affected by the near proximity as she was, one small move from him and they could both have what they wanted.

The young princess gave a small huff as she saw a small twitch at the corner of Harry's lips. Another smirk. The realisation came a little later to her that Harry was, once again, baiting her. He was doing at least ninety percent of the work but making her try harder for that last ten percent of it. If this was going to happen then it had to be her that took the jump, and she had to at least make sure she was ready for it.

"You're an ass, Harry." Queenie fired with slight annoyance.

"Aye, I am. But ye love it darlin'." He laughed in response, enjoying every part of her trying to figure him out and then some.

 _'Damn it.'_ Queenie thought to herself. She ignored the red flags and sentences from F.G.'s goodness book as they flew through her mind, firmly deciding that for once she would do something because she herself wanted to do it, and not give a shit about what others thought of her.

With a last, lingering breath Queenie snuck her right hand into Harry's hair. They could argue about his constant teasing later.

A loud crash rang out in the silent room and Queenie jumped, falling further back into her mattress as she twisted her head to see who had interrupted the much anticipated moment between her and the first-mate.

"Jay?!" Queenie exclaimed, covering her face with slight shame and guilt as she removed herself from Harry's hold.

"I'm gonna fuckin' kill him." Harry groaned from the same place he'd been, reluctantly moving off of the bed.

"Q', we have to get you out of here." Jay rushed, taking hard and deep breaths as he completely disregarded the situation he'd actually walked into.

"What's going on?" The princess asked nervously. Her old friend was often so collected and well-put, so seeing him so flustered and panicked was sending her into her own inner turmoil.

"Harry, take her somewhere. Anywhere! I don't care." The former thief demanded, quickly moving backwards to scan the hallway outside of the dorm room.

"An' why should I listen ta ye?" Harry wondered angrily, making his annoyance and frustration at the intrusion known.

"Because, asshole, they're coming for her."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Hello readers! Firstly, I'm sorry that I left this on a cliff-hanger of sorts, but things will start kicking off from this point onwards.**

 **I've decided to include my reviewers in the chapters from this point on. I honestly love all of the reviews you guys at giving, it means so much to me that you enjoy this story.**

 **Big thank you to...;**

 **PinkTribeChick  
Smile Like Me** **Guest  
janusscientes** **StoryWriting1414**

 **^Thank you guys for reviewing the last chapter!**

 **Much love to everyone who've favourited and followed also! I'm not leaving you guys out but there are a lot of you now and I'm so excited about that :)**

 **Anyway, please leave a review or PM to let me know what you think! And I really hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Any typo's and such will be removed once I've properly read through.**


	12. Chapter 12

_'They're coming. They're coming for me.'_

Queenie sat straight in her desk chair, her knees pulled to her chest and her face securely hidden in her arms. She could hear the argument between pirate and thief loud and clear, but her own inner voice was so powerful that she could barely even attempt to pay closer attention to the two boys. Their battle didn't seem to be coming to a close anytime soon, and since Jay's declaration that someone was coming for the princess they'd slowly gotten closer to each other, neither willing to admit defeat to other and back down. It was stupid, really, since _she_ was the only one who had any right to be shouting in their current situation. But in the midst of everything Queenie had truly realised that this fight between them wasn't just about what to do with her. This was much bigger than that. Even in her bewildered state the young princess could see it, and it had to stop now.

She wanted to interrupt it. She longed to stand up and put herself between the two, demand that they see just what their bitterness towards each other would do to her, but she couldn't. Jay's words from only minutes ago had struck Queenie fast and hard with an overwhelming, and body-numbing, sensation of utter dread. The worst of all, however, was that she had absolutely no idea why she felt that way. She didn't know if it was because of how scared Jay himself seemed when he said it, but she had a very small inkling that it was mainly because of her inner self. The Isle-Girl inside of her mind was screaming absolute murder and it scared the shit out of Queenie, she was at the point now where all she could really see herself doing was running. She had absolutely no idea where she would run to, but leaving Auradon Prep seemed to be the best thing.

"Why should we trust ye, eh?!" Harry yelled, shoving Jay's shoulder with his un-hooked hand. "It's yer fault she's in this mess in the firs' place."

"She came to me for help!" Jay shouted back. "At least I tried to help. I didn't tell her to kill anyone!"

Queenie's brows knitted in a frown. In an attempt to figure out how to stop their bickering, and try and put her own mind at ease, she'd tried to tune herself into their conversation. She didn't know what they were trying to say to each other, but it was clear that they were using her as a way of taking shots. Her already agitated mind tried to make sense of Jay's words that Harry had gotten her to kill someone, along with Harry's accusation of Jay being the reason someone was coming for her. They were trying to help but all their attempts only succeeded in making things worse. They seemed to have forgotten that she didn't remember a lot of things that had happened but they also didn't seem to care. They were scoring points and Queenie knew full well that once the nasty words and sly remarks disappeared the boys would revert to their Isle upbringing. Harry was taller and stronger but Jay was faster, and the last thing Queenie needed was their blood on each other and her floor because both were too stubborn to settle down and come to a sensible decision. She had to stop it.

"Enough!" A harsh and ear-shattering cry rang out in the room, putting an end to Harry and Jay's ongoing argument. Queenie didn't even realise it had been her that spoke until both looked at her. She hadn't planned on saying anything but she knew she had to keep going, otherwise they'd go right back to where they'd left off. "How is any of this supposed to help me?" She said with a humourless giggle.

"We have to get you out of here, Queenie." Jay pressed, his lips set in a grim line as he kneeled beside her chair. "Please." He added with a whisper, his eyes pleading with her to trust him. She wanted to, she really did, but she needed her questions answered first.

"Who's coming for me, Jay?" Queenie asked shakily. She watched with wide eyes as he gaped, his gaze averting to the floor with apparent shame. "Why are they coming for me? If you tell me, then I might go with you." She implored.

"I-I can't," Jay stuttered for a moment or two, unsure if he should divulge the entire truth.

Queenie gave a sigh of dejection, her eyes welling up with tears as she tried to accept that her oldest, and first, friend was refusing to tell her what was going on. She knew he was keeping something from her, something big if he was still attempting to hold it from her now, and all he was doing was putting a barrier between them. How on earth was she supposed to go with him and trust him fully if he was keeping things from her?

"She deserves ta know, Jay." Harry finally spoke up from a few feet away.

"I can't tell her." Jay muttered towards the pirate.

The first-mate chuckled loudly and spitefully and Queenie had to turn her head. Harry was draped against one of the four posters of her bed, absentmindedly scratching his hook against the wood as his eyes hardened in on the former thief. Queenie knew that, if he wanted, Harry could tell her a little of what he knew and spare Jay the misery of doing it himself. But this was Harry. He was enjoying the torment and Queenie was suddenly well aware that Harry was going to make Jay tell her.

"How about this." Queenie said quietly, tearing her eyes away from Harry to look back at Jay. "I tell you my secret, and you tell me yours. Deal?" She offered gently, praying to anyone that was listening that this would work. Harry was certainly cruel enough to push Jay, but she wasn't. "Harry and Uma have been helping me with something. I can't remember Harry, or coming to Auradon, and a lot of other things. Parts of my memories are missing, Jay, and I don't know why. And I was too scared to ask you for help because I didn't want to disappoint you. You told me to stay away from the pirates and I didn't listen, and you've done so much for me already. But I need your help one more time. Please tell me what's going on."

Jay closed his eyes and Queenie held her breath. "Fairy Godmother hid your memories away from you." He finally confessed.

The young princess released the air she'd been holding in, though she was neither relieved or content. Jay had told her, albeit with much reluctance, why she was without the memory of six months of her life, but it brought on a lot more questions than she'd already had. His statement explained the nagging anxiety she had whenever the fairies name was mentioned or when she was around, but Queenie's mind was relentless and one question in particular stood out from the rest. Why would F.G. do that?

"How?" Harry wondered curiously.

"Magic." Jay said simply and with a small shrug. "She couldn't take them away completely so she hid them instead."

Queenie swallowed, her mouth moving as she attempted to find the right words to say. "So when she kept coming to my room..."

Jay nodded his head, confirming the thoughts she struggled to translate to him. "She was making sure you didn't remember anything."

"I didn't fall and hit my head, did I?" The princess asked, though her words made it seem more like a statement than anything else. A part of her knew it already, but she had to hear it from Jay.

"Queenie-" Jay attempted with a slight plead.

"Jay." She seethed, lowering her feet to the floor as her hands grasped at the handles on her chair. Her knuckles turned white at the force of the grip, her face flushing with a rising anger she tried hard to keep at bay.

"You didn't fall."

"How long has she been in Bore-Adon, Jay?" Harry asked, and Queenie moved her head once more. His grin spoke volumes and was a very clear sign that he was enjoying all of it way too much.

"A little over a month." Jay answered.

Queenie's head turned a little too quickly at Jay's quieted words, her neck aching from the sudden movement. She didn't care about that, though. Her temper had quickly dissolved and left an ache in her chest and a sickness in her stomach. She knew she'd had a lot taken from her but this went beyond that. She knew that the core-four had been in Auradon for six months, if not more, and to now find out that she'd only been around for a month could only mean one thing.

The young princess jumped as two strong arms came around her neck from behind. She hadn't even heard Harry move.

"Ye hear that, love?" Harry said into her left ear. "Ye figurin' it out, aren't ye? I can see it. Ye've been here for a month, an' they've been here a lot longer." His tone was soft and soothing but his words were everything opposite of that. And what he said next was what truly dug the knife in even harder. "They left ye on the Isle, love."

"No." Queenie whispered as she shook her head, staring at the boy in front of her. "They came back for me. They wouldn't leave me, _Jay_ wouldn't have-" she stopped suddenly as she finally let herself see her friend. His refusal to look her in the eye told her what she needed to know and the revelation of it all set her emotions into overdrive.

"Oh, but they did. How do ye think I met ye?" Harry told her, his hook moving her hair to the side.

Queenie clenched her eyes shut and leaned her head back, a pitiful attempt at keeping her tears inside as her heart shattered in her chest. She'd greatly underestimated the amount of secrecy, assuming that the others had somehow been on the Isle with her. To find out now that they'd actually left her after being invited to Auradon was more than she could handle.

"You left me?" Her question was aimed at Jay even though she couldn't stand to look at him.

"I didn't mean to, Q'. We got wrapped up in everything over here and we completely forgot and I'm so, so sorry." Jay said quickly, and Queenie opened her eyes.

A part of her wished she could forgive him. But to do that she'd have to know exactly what happened after he left. Once again she yearned for what had been taken from her, needing them now more than ever to decide if he really deserved her forgiveness or not. She needed her memories back.

"Queenie." The old thief said warily.

"I want my memories back." She said loudly, lowering her head to face Jay.

"That might be a problem." He replied, his nose wrinkling with displeasure. "They don't want you to have them back."

Queenie raised a brow with slight confusion and suspicion. "Why?" She inquired.

"I don't know. Trust me, I asked them to re-consider and they said they have a good enough reason for not giving them back. But F.G. said she wanted to go through your head again and I just...I couldn't do it. I couldn't keep lying to you about what was going on." He explained.

"Aw Jay, did ye finally grow a conscience there?" Harry mocked. "An' people say we're the mean ones."

"I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand." Jay spat in retaliation.

"Someone like me?" Harry chuckled darkly. His arms flexed against Queenie's chest and she shuffled in her chair, slowly looking back at the first-mate in an effort to suss out his next move. She didn't want to be in the middle if he was going to do something drastic. "She'd be dead if I hadn' found her, an' you would be wise ta remember that."

A light knock came from Queenie's bedroom door and she tensed. "W-who is it?!" She called out.

"Queenie, dear, it's Fairy Godmother. Is it alright to come in?" The fairies voice replied, and the door knob rattled as the headmistress attempted to twist it open.

"Um, just a minute!" Queenie shouted, moving from both her chair and the boys as she approached the door. "I-I'm not dressed for visitors, could you give me moment?" She asked, trying as best as she could to keep the worry from her voice.

"Of course. Take your time."

The princess turned, her face turning pale as she thought back on the last time F.G. had come to wipe her mind. The pressure from magic being forced into her head, the ache afterwards and, most of all, the painful sting she felt each and every time it happened. The only reason she'd let it happen before was because they'd convinced her it was for her own safety, that they were checking her mind for any lingering dangers hitting her head may have caused. Now she knew the real reason. F.G. hadn't been helping her at all, she'd been putting walls up in Queenie's head to make sure she didn't remember the Isle.

"I can't do it." Queenie admitted fearfully, staring at Jay. He'd been there every time, seen every grimace and heard every gasp when it became too much. If one of them understood more than the other why she couldn't just sit and let it happen, it would be him.

"Queenie, you have to listen to me." Jay said slowly, carefully moving towards her. "You have to go."

"Go where?" She demanded with a whisper, meeting him halfway. She glanced back at the door, thanking whoever it was that had slid the latch across. "Maybe if I tell them not to..." Queenie wondered thoughtfully, her eyes glazing over as she tried to figure out a way to escape the impending mind-wipe.

"They won't listen to you. They had a council meeting about it. I don't know why but this is happening, Q', whether you like it or not." Jay said grimly. He looked back at Harry, who'd been watching the exchange with an unreadable expression. "You need to go with Harry."

"What?" Queenie gasped.

"He can keep you safe." Jay told her, his facial features twisting with disgust as he spoke. Like it pained him to admit that going with the pirate was the best option for her.

"I don' mean ta be so pessimistic about this, but where the fuck do ye expect us ta go?" Harry asked as he approached the two.

The door knob jiggled once more. "Queenie?" Fairy Godmother asked through the door. "Is everything alright dear?"

"Jay?" Queenie pressed with urgency. The lock on the door would only slow the fairy down, she had magic after all. They had to make a decision now, and it had to be a good one.

"Just get her somewhere safe." He said to Harry, gently grabbing Queenie's shoulder and steering her towards the first-mate. "I'm sure you'll think of somewhere. Go out the window."

"Queenie, please open the door. We aren't here to hurt you." F.G. said. Her voice was still gentle, but even Queenie could hear the tweak of slight irritation making itself known.

"Time ta go, princess." Harry muttered, his hand taking hold of Queenie's waist.

Queenie nodded and slowly followed Harry towards the window. He climbed up onto her bed and flicked the latch open, giving it a small push. He went out first, using the pipe line trailing along the edges of the wall to shuffle himself down and onto the ground. Queenie watched his movements, having not done this before and knowing that one wrong move would have her falling.

"Queenie." Jay spoke up from behind her, and she looked back and over her shoulder. "I'm sorry." He said once more.

The young princess nodded, "I know." She said. She wished she could say more, but they didn't have the time.

"Queenie! If you don't open this door I'll have to use necessary force!" Fairy Godmother warned.

Queenie took this as her cue to move. She moved her slim body through the open window and paused. It wasn't too far of a drop, but if she landed awkwardly then it could do some damage to her ankle. And if her luck was really shitty then she'd somehow twist mid-air and hit her head.

"Move yer ass, princess." Harry demanded, occasionally glancing behind him to make sure there were no late wanderers.

"I'm trying." Queenie hissed back. She re-played Harry's actions in her head, twisting herself and finding a good enough grip on the pipe.

"Ye know, the view from down here isn't too bad." Harry joked.

"Where is she, Jay?!" Fairy Godmother's voice screeched from inside the bedroom.

 _'Shit.'_ Queenie thought. She ignored the sting of her palms gripping the cold pipe and moved faster, sliding fire-man style down the side of the building.

"C'mon, Queenie." Harry groaned, gripping her small hand in his much larger one.

Queenie froze. She blinked fast a few times, unsure if she was awake or dreaming. Had Harry really just said her name?

"Princess," Harry huffed. He gripped her neck with his hand and yanked her closer, staring down at her face with absolute annoyance. "If ye don' move yer ass, I'm gonna knock ye out myself." He promised, his eyes narrowing in to let her know that he wasn't even remotely joking.

"O-okay." She stuttered.

Satisfied with the notion that she was back to earth and paying attention, Harry gave a small and sharp nod. He turned on his heels and started running towards the woods, Queenie struggling to keep up with his large paces.

"Ye're finally doin' somethin' ye're good at, love." Harry told her.

"What's that?" Queenie asked half-heartedly, a part of her not quite caring what he had to say. She was too focussed on getting away from the school.

The first-mate looked behind him, a small smirk making itself known. "Running."

~...~...~

Uma stared ahead at the wall of her dorm room, her eyes flickering towards the sleeping mermaid beside her. It had taken a little while to settle Ava. The red-head had been shaken by the days events and, knowing full well she had good reason to be, Uma had stayed in the same bed to make sure she felt safe. And it worked. The little one had almost instantly fallen into a soft slumber, soothed by Uma's promise that she wouldn't leave her alone again. But while Ava was content, Uma was quite the opposite. They'd never been this close to each other before, and during her tossing and turning Ava had gently latched onto the teal-haired VK's legs, her head nuzzling into Uma's thighs. It left the villain both anxious and slightly irritated. Cuddling wasn't exactly a big thing back on the Isle and she had no idea what to do with herself. However, her desire to give the little one some peace overrode the alarm bells telling her to move away, so she stayed.

Uma jumped high as the door to her room swung open. Her senses were on high alert as she reached for her sword, her legs swinging out from underneath Ava and onto the carpeted floor.

"Jay?" She wondered, puzzled at the sight of the former thief being shoved through the doorway. Her confusion doubled as her crew came in behind him, a large guard dressed in usual Auradon colours and attire closing the door behind them. "What the fuck is going on?!" She yelled, wincing as a small groan came from the bed.

"I don't know. They dragged us out of bed." Gil exclaimed, throwing his arms out as he gestured to the closed door.

"Uma," Ava muttered.

"Great." The VK sighed with frustration. She turned her head and found Ava sat up in her bed, half-lidded eyes searching the room for some kind of explanation as to what was going on.

"What's going on?" Ava asked quietly, turning under the sheets to switch on her bedside light.

"That's what I'd like to know." Uma said with pursed lips, her gaze flittering to each face of the members of her crew. "Well?!" She demanded.

"Harry took off." Jay was the first to answer.

Uma raised her brows and crossed her arms. "What?" She asked.

"F.G. came to go through Queenie's head again. I told Harry to get her out of there. So he took off, with Queenie." Jay explained in a nut-shell, coming further into the room to settle into one of the desk chairs. "I don't know where they are." He added afterwards, sensing the VK's oncoming question before she'd even asked it.

Uma took a long, deep breath and rubbed at her forehead. She tried to take note of the situation being presented, attempting to form a well-thought of plan in the span of a few seconds. When her first-mate returned she was going to kill him. He had the worst timing in the world.

"Why would Fairy Godmother want to go through Queenie's head?" Ava wondered with confusion.

"It's a long story, A'. And you should be asleep." Uma reprimanded the little one, her eyes rolling as she paced about the room.

"Well I'm wide awake now. Tell me." The little mermaids voice was soft and yet firm. She wouldn't back down with this.

"Fine." Uma muttered. "When Queenie came to Auradon F.G. wiped her mind. She doesn't remember me, my crew or Harry. So, my first-mate came to find her and we've been trying to help her get her memories back. You all caught up now?" She finished with a feigned smile that dropped from her face as soon as it came. She hadn't planned on being so harsh with Ava, but she wasn't in the right frame of mind and she certainly didn't have the patience to give her the long and detailed version of events.

Ava gaped, her mouth moving wordlessly as her mind tried to catch up with what she'd been told.

"That doesn't explain why you're all in my room." Uma pointed out, turning to her crew.

"F.G. thinks that, since Harry's gone running with Queenie, you guys are involved. We're all on house-arrest until they find them." Jay explained tiredly, slouching back in his chair.

"Oh great," Uma deadpanned, earning herself a loud scoff from the old thief.

"I'm not happy about this either, y'know." He spat, angrily tugging the beanie from his head.

"Well this is all because of you, naturally you should've seen this coming."

Jay got to his feet, stomping towards the teal-haired girl. "I tried to protect her from Harry." He stated defensively.

"And how's that going?" Uma mocked, raising her chin. She placed her hands on her hips and gave a small shrug. "Right now you're stuck here with the rest of us. While Harry's out there," she gestured towards the window, "With Queenie."

Jay gritted his teeth and bowed his head. He shuffled back towards the chair, ending their argument before it even began. Uma, though, had other plans.

"I mean, I have no idea where they are or what they're doing. But I know my first mate. What do _you_ think they're doing, Jay?" The VK pushed, her tongue pressed into the side of her cheek as a vicious grin tugged at her lips. "Here's what _I know._ Harry's amazing, he's loyal and he's there for me no matter what-"

"Then what's the problem?!" Jay exclaimed, cutting the girls sentence off without hesitation. "If he's so amazing and he's so loyal, then what's the damn issue?!"

"If you'd let me finish." Uma warned. She continued speaking only once she knew Jay wasn't going to interrupt again. "As I was saying, he can be a good person if he's _with_ a good person. I'm not saying Queenie's not good, I'm saying she's not exactly his favourite right now."

Jay eyed her warily. "I don't understand." He said.

"He practically raised her, Jay. He saved her from death, gave her all the protection he had to offer and she left him. He 'hooked' her because she asked for it, and hit her when she went against him. He knows how to work her, Jay. Queenie's catching up but she doesn't remember everything that happened. Harry could really hurt her out there, especially if she says the wrong thing." Uma elaborated.

"But he can keep her safe." Jay stuttered, his eyes widening slightly as he tried to come to terms with what the Captain was telling him.

"Oh, he will. He'll cut down anyone that even looks at her wrong. But Queenie can't defend herself against anyone, especially Harry. She doesn't remember what he's done to her, or for her, and if she keeps pushing him I don't know what'll happen. You just let your friend run off with her worst enemy, Jay, and you didn't even know it." She finalized.

"Oh shit." He mumbled. "We have to get out of here."

Uma raised her brows, staring at the boy as if he was the biggest idiot in the world. "Yah think?!"

~...~...~

Queenie kept a tight grip on Harry's hand, relying on him alone to lead them both through the forest and to somewhere safe. They'd stopped running, much to the young princesses relief, and had slowed into a fast walk. She had no doubt in her mind that F.G. had sent people out to look for her, and she could only pray that they wouldn't come looking in the Enchanted Forest. She didn't even want to think about what would happen if they did.

The Forest was somewhat silent during the night. Queenie could hear the occasional owl. A cricket chirp here and there. A rustle from the bushes that sent her heart racing, only to turn out to be a small woodland creature of some kind. In any other situation she was sure she'd feel at peace. After all, the night was her favourite. The moon when it was full and sent a glow over the entirety of Auradon Prep. The glistening stars in the pitch-black sky. And the quiet. She loved that the most. Whenever she was in her dorm room, laying down nice and warm in her bed, she made sure to keep the curtains drawn. For reasons she couldn't quite understand, her mind would always shut off when the sun went down. When she was restless and simply unable to sleep, she would stare out of the window, her fingers mindlessly drawing little patterns on the cool glass as she soothed herself into relaxation. But things were different this time. This time, she wasn't alone.

Queenie stared at the back of Harry's head, her brows lightly furrowed. He hadn't said a word to her for a good while now, and that worried her. The first-mate always had something to say. He always made his opinions known even when she could go without them. A part of her wondered if he was just concentrating. The forest was dark and their adjusted eyes still couldn't see everything.

"Harry?" Queenie whispered cautiously. She had no idea why she was keeping her voice low. No one else would be out at this time of night. But there was something uncomfortable in the silence surrounding them, and she felt as if keeping quiet was the best option.

"Aye?" He threw back, his voice a little louder than her own.

"Where are we going?" She had to ask. She felt as if she'd been patient enough.

"Why so worried, little one?" Harry sang.

Queenie chewed her bottom lip. He wouldn't answer her question. But why?

"Don' worry, lass, we're nearly there."

The young princess opened her mouth to ask him what he was talking about, only to halt herself entirely as the ground swayed beneath her feet. She let out a loud gasp, her right hand swiftly moving to grasp anything close in a bid to stop the sensation. When her small digits felt a thick rope she finally realised where she was. The bridge.

"Ye alright there, love?"

"Some warning would've been nice." She muttered with an annoyed huff, her feet picking up the pace they'd lost seconds ago. She kept one hand on the rope handle of the bridge, smoothing it along as she went. The fingers of her left hand were firmly intertwined with Harry's, letting him lead her wherever he wanted go.

His low chuckle reached her ears. "If ye hadn' noticed by now, I'm not exactly 'nice'." He said with amusement.

Queenie said nothing in reply. How could she? His statement did not fall on deaf ears, and all of a sudden she realised just how much danger she'd willingly put herself in. She'd blindly followed him into the forest thinking that the most dangerous thing of all was behind her. But it wasn't. Harry could play the nice guy, she knew that, but more often than not he favoured playing the bad guy. If he wanted to he could kill her. And it didn't matter that he liked having her around, or that he'd done so much to help her since coming to Auradon. Harry had a terrifying temper and she had to keep that in mind. If she wasn't careful, he'd be the only one leaving the forest when the sun came up, whether he intended to or not.

"Here we are." Harry said abruptly, and Queenie stopped in her tracks.

"The lake?" She thought out loud, peering out from behind him to see the familiar, albeit slightly hidden by darkness, stone pillars. "Why are we here?"

"Well, I thought this would be the las' place they'd think ta look. It'll give us some time to sort some shite out." Harry offered with a light shrug.

Queenie nodded, accepting his reasoning as good enough. She walked out and past Harry, but a small tug of her hand stopped her. She looked back over her shoulder to see that Harry hadn't moved, nor did he seem about to.

"I may not be nice, lass, but I know what ye like. Go." Was what he said to her inquiring gaze.

Despite her puzzlement, Queenie decided to let it be for now and carry on without him. She had to take a quick glance back as she took a few steps forward, her hand sliding from his grasp. She needed to know that he wasn't going anywhere, that he wasn't going to up and leave as soon as she turned her back on him. But once Harry moved to the side and sat atop a nearby tree stump, she let herself relax just a little.

After some gentle coaxing to herself, Queenie finally turned and moved further across the stone floor. A bright gleam in the corner of her eye caught her before anything else, and as soon as she moved she realised what Harry had meant.

The moon was large and full in the night sky, lighting up not only the stone floor and pillars, but the Enchanted Lake itself. In the woods she hadn't been able to see it, but out in the open it illuminated everything. Its reflection shined in the rippling waters of the lake, the numerous pebbles and stones glittering underneath the water. The lake glowed like nothing she'd ever seen before, a strange and green shine twinkling every now and then. In the day the place was magical in itself, but in the moonlight it was so much more. It was absolutely beautiful, and now more than ever she cursed her fear of the water, her entire being wishing that she could run her fingers through the gentle stream.

Queenie closed her eyes and let out a small breath. She wrapped her right arm around one of the pillars, resting her body against the cold surface. She could hear the waterfall just a few yards away. She could feel the warm breeze on her skin. And for just a minute she let herself fall into it. She let all thoughts of Fairy Godmother and Auradon Prep slip away. _This_ is what she came to Auradon for.

"Ye havin' fun there, lass?"

The princess opened her eyes and twisted her body, moving her arm around as she leaned her back against the pillar. She looked at the pirate right in front of her, a small smile making its way onto her face. He could have shared this with her, could have gone in a different direction and started discussing what they'd do as soon as they arrived. But he hadn't. He'd stepped back and let her have this wonderful moment to herself, and she knew she wouldn't ever forget it.

"Thank you." She muttered earnestly.

"I don' know what ye're thankin' me for, love." Harry said back. "I didn' do anythin'."

"We both know you did. How did you know I'd enjoy this, anyway?" Queenie decided to change their topic slightly, knowing that it wouldn't be wise to focus on the fact Harry had done something nice for her. It wasn't something he was comfortable with.

"I knew ye pretty well on the Isle." He told her, his own eyes taking in the scene around them, though with slightly less awe and enthusiasm as she had.

Queenie swallowed, a small sadness niggling in the back of her mind. Whatever they'd done back on the Isle, or whatever they'd been, must have been at least a little important to him. Even if he wouldn't admit it, she knew it herself. He'd come all this way to bring her back and had stayed to help. And though she couldn't justify any of his actions over the last week, she couldn't find the stubbornness to hold it against him. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like, to have someone with her all the time only for them to disappear suddenly, and then come to find out that they didn't remember her at all. It must have been complete hell.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, her bottom lip quivering as she tried to voice her thoughts. "I don't know why I left you. Maybe I had a good reason. But I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you had to come all the way here to get me. I don't know if I'll ever remember you like you remember me. But we're both sorry." She tapped her temple with her index finger, making sure he knew the girl that remembered felt as terrible as Queenie did now. He had to know that.

Harry pulled his lip between his teeth, threading his fingers through Queenie's brown hair. "That's all I wanted ta hear from ye, love. All this time, it's all I needed from ye." He told her, and Queenie fully believed every word he was saying. "But I need ye ta promise me somethin'."

"Anything." Queenie said quickly and without hesitation, her wide eyes staring up at him.

"Ye have ta promise that ye won' ever leave me again." He stated. His hand moved from her hair, his knuckles grazing her cheek as his fingers moved lower. "I won' make it easy for ye, lass." Harry kept speaking, his tone low and hushed near her ear. "I won' always be this nice." He took hold of the zipper of her jacket, gently tugging it down. "An' I might hurt ye without meanin' ta do it." His large hand pressed against the middle of her chest, his middle finger tracing the scar. "I need ye ta tell me now if ye don' want that."

Queenie's sadness had all but faded, replaced with something she couldn't quite understand. Her lips parted as she released shallow breaths, her brown eyes staring at the hand Harry had against her chest. She couldn't hear the waterfall, or the owls and the crickets. His scent and proximity overwhelmed her senses and swallowed anything even remotely distracting. She tried to think over his words, she really did, but he had well and truly hooked her this time.

"I-I promise." She muttered, her voice barely audible to either of them. She held onto the fabric of his shirt with both hands, trying hard to keep her legs steady.

"What was that, lass?" He asked, his lips moving against the place just beneath her ear.

Queenie shivered against his hold, small goosebumps lining her arms. She moved her head to the side, ignoring that small red-flag in the back of her mind that told her this was a very, very bad idea. "I promise I won't leave you." She said once more, and louder this time.

"Oh my little princess." Harry whispered fondly. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her in closer and away from the pillar she'd been leaning against. "Are ye sure, love?" He asked gently, his gaze meeting her own.

"I'm sure." She swore, holding onto his forearms.

"Ye have no idea how good it feels ta hear ye say that, love." He told her. His orbs swiftly moved to something behind her, and Queenie barely had any time to ask what he was doing. "I am sorry for this."

With a large shove, Queenie felt herself falling through the air. In a matter of seconds she was weightless, her body meeting the water with a loud 'splash'. Her thoughts on Harry were washed away as the cold waters engulfed her, and she flailed about as she attempted to keep her head above the water. Her heart raced as she fought against the pull. Maybe if she'd concentrated hard enough she'd find a way out, but she couldn't. The situation was all too familiar and despite not fully remembering the last time she'd been in any kind of waters, the fear itself was enough to have her panicking.

Queenie felt her feet plant firmly against the floor of the lake, and she soon realised that the water wasn't deep enough for her to drown. She stood still, her stomach twisting and turning as her body shook with absolute fear.

"H-Harry." She whispered, but no reply came. Instead she was met with silence.

The princess took in a harsh breath, her eyes moving to look down as she saw a strange glow at the bottom of her feet. It moved slowly and with precision, and Queenie's heart stopped once she felt the growing weight making its way up her body.

"Harry." Queenie cried out, unable to move as the unknown entity held her body still. It kept her in place and, in her already frightened state, she couldn't find the strength to move. Whatever it was it wasn't stopping, and it moved closer and closer towards her chest.

"It's alright, princess." Harry's voice rang out, and Queenie looked up. There he was, lazily leaning against the pillar he'd moved her away from with a disturbing smirk on his face. "Jus' let it in, lass." He said.

Tears streamed down Queenie's face, her mouth moving though no words escaped her throat. The glow stopped at the edge of the water, but a sudden and unfamiliar pressure came down on her head. The pressure turned into an ache, and the ache into an enormous pounding, so terrible and so large that she thought her mind was about to explode.

Queenie tilted her head back quickly, her mouth opening wide as she released a piercing and ear-shattering scream. Her throat burned but she couldn't stop. And when her eyes blurred and her vision grew dark, she could still see Harry's face as he looked down at her, and his words as her throat dried and the screaming came to an end.

"I can' wait ta see ye again, princess."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Hi readers! Just me again. Okay, so I know there was a lot of heavy shit going on in this chapter. I actually don't know what to say about this one. Except that Harry's a sneaky asshole, and Queenie should have known better.**

 **Anyway, big thank you to;**

 **mollichine.  
The guest with the lovely review.  
AmeliaKaneShadow.  
JonSnowWarriorQueen.  
PinkTribeChick.** **AshLightwoodShadowhunter.**

 **Thank you guys for reviewing, honestly I love all these wonderful review. So much love to you all! And big thank you to everyone who've favourited and followed.**

 **Anyway, please leave a review or PM to let me know what you thought about this chapter. Thanks!**

 **Any typos will be removed once I've had a proper read through.**


	13. Chapter 13

_The brown haired princess mumbled incoherently, her eyelids twitching as she waited for the rest of her body to wake up. There was an awful pounding radiating through the back of her head. Much like the aftermath of one of F.G.'s mind-wipes; But worse. There was no relief this time. No Jay, ready to catch her if she moved up to her feet too fast and caught a head rush. Just silence._

 _Queenie blinked owlishly, her gaze blurred and misty. Whether it was an effect of her crying before passing out, or from being asleep so long, she didn't know. What she did know, however, was that she couldn't see anything even remotely familiar. After a second or two her sight returned, and she had to pause. She hadn't recognized her whereabouts straight away but that wasn't surprising, after all, she hadn't been back there in months._

 _The den looked exactly the same as she'd left it. Numerous paintings and art-work of Mal's drawn beautifully across the walls. Coloured windows to keep anyone outside from peering in. The pathetic excuse of a kitchen was still well intact, stains here and there on the counters with random and stolen objects covering the surfaces. Small tables here and there, holding something or other that belonged to either Queenie, or a member of the Core-Four. Nothing had changed._

 _Queenie ran a nervous hand through her hair, pushing back the chocolate-brown locks as she moved into a seated position. She looked down to figure out what she'd been laying on and found it to be her beloved red couch. Sure enough, as she turned her head slowly, she saw the TV she'd spent many days staring at, placed on that old coffee table._

 _She gave a small hiss as she reached her hand back further, poking at the back of her head to see what was causing the pain. She couldn't feel any obvious wounds and that worried her. But what terrified her more was the thought that, at some point during her nap, F.G. had found her and sent her back to the Isle. It was an outrageous idea considering Queenie hadn't even done anything wrong. Sure, she'd run away from the fairy, but that wasn't bad enough to get thrown back onto the Isle._

 _Or maybe it was. Auradon weren't too specific on what bad deeds could have someone doomed to the dreaded Island, so Queenie had never really known. But maybe running away from the headmistress was one._

 _"I was wondering when you'd wake up." An unknown, and yet increasingly familiar, voice spoke up._

 _Queenie flinched and lifted her head, all too quickly wishing she hadn't. She covered her mouth with the hand that had been soothing her head, a small wave of nausea making its way through her stomach. If she hadn't known it before, then she definitely knew it now. S_ _he was going mad. Completely, mind-blowingly insane. Just like her mother had before her._

 _The strange newcomer wasn't a stranger, in fact Queenie knew her rather well. A little too well._ _The girl leaning against the wall a few feet away was a mirror image of Queenie herself. The same dark-brown hair, the same hazel eyes and the same face. Even the same voice. But as she took a longer look, Queenie began to notice the large differences between them. The clothes were the first things Queenie took note of. Where she herself wore her usual, favourite red dress, the other girl wore a thin, long-sleeved maroon sweater, stained darker in some places. Her flared black skirt barely met the bottom of her thighs, the rest of her legs covered by long, black socks that held many, many holes. Queenie's sparkling heeled booties were in beautiful condition, the clear heel shining in the light. The other girl wore black ankle boots that were scuffed and worn._

 _'My old clothes', Queenie eventually came to realise. She hadn't seen them since leaving, but she could only guess that she'd gotten rid of them as soon as she settled in to Auradon._

 _She stayed still on the couch, much too startled to even form a word in her throat. All she could really do was stare._

 _"You're not going crazy, if that's what you're wondering." The other girl said, crossing her arms beneath her breasts as she strolled closer. She also looked at Queenie with the same curiosity the princess had with her, paying close attention to the obvious differences between them._

 _"W-who are you?" Queenie managed to stutter, clearing her throat with a wince. It stung awfully, as if she'd been screaming or shouting for hours on end._

 _The other girl gave a small, humoured giggle. "I'm you, silly." She replied, eyebrows raised at Queenie as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Well, I'm the you that remembers the Isle." She added as an afterthought._

 _Queenie nodded slowly, trying to seem like she understood when really she had no idea what was going on. "If you're me, and I'm not going crazy, then that means..." she trailed off into a sigh, her frantic mind attempting to form a good enough assumption._

 _"We're inside your head. Or our head. I'm not too sure, either." The other girl said back, shrugging her shoulders as she plonked herself down into the empty spot beside Queenie._

 _The young princess was relieved to know that she hadn't completely lost her mind, that her head was still somewhat well-intact when it came to things like that. However, this moment also terrified her beyond belief. If the version of her that remembered the Isle was now conversing with her normal self, then that meant there was a very good chance she was about to get her memories back._

 _"Right again." The other said loudly, and Queenie flinched. "Oh, anything you think, I can hear. Same mind, remember?" The other girl re-capped, her index finger pointing to her own head and then to Queenie's._

 _"Uh-huh." Queenie muttered half-heartedly. She looked into the eyes that mirrored her own, her orbs taking a large note of everything on the other girls face that Queenie didn't have on her own. The skin underneath her eyes was darker and puffier, a clear tell that she hadn't gotten any sleep in days, if not weeks. And the worst of all was the large, yellowish-purple bruise marking her cheek. It looked painful and sore, and Queenie had to wonder how the other girl had gotten it._

 _"Right, you can't remember." The other girl sighed with slight annoyance, and a little sadness. "Harry did this to us." She explained, tucking her hair behind her ear to show Queenie the bruise a little clearer._

 _Queenie gaped, her eyes widening as her body turned cold. She re-played the nights events in her head, mentally wondering just where she'd gone wrong with Harry. Everything had been fine, at first. He'd taken her to the Enchanted Lake, let her bask in the moonlight and the beauty that came with it, and they'd somehow made up after her apology. Him throwing her in the waters of the Lake knowing full well she couldn't swim, and held a large fear of water, shook her even now._

 _"Yeah, we both know why he did that." The other girl remarked with a small smirk, reaching out for a stray can of expired soda on the coffee table._

 _"We do?" Queenie wondered with puzzlement. Maybe she did know, or at least some part of her did, but she couldn't think of a reason right at that second. Her mind was much too overrun with other, and more worrying, matters._

 _"Yup." The other girl said confidently, putting large emphasis on the 'P' as she ended her word. "The Enchanted Lake." She said as Queenie furrowed her brows, still not understanding what she was trying to say. "It's magic."_

 _After a moment that lasted a little longer than Queenie was comfortable with, she finally understood. The Enchanted Lake was one of Auradon's tour-attractions and for good reason. It was beautiful and surrounded by nature, but that wasn't all. The Lake itself was somehow filled with magical entities, capable of reversing or undoing any magical spell placed onto the person, or being, stepping into the water._

 _"Bingo." The other girl giggled._

 _Queenie leaned back on the couch, her shoulders drooping as she inwardly face-palmed her own actions and thoughts. How on earth had she missed that crucial detail? Although, she hadn't really known what caused her memory loss and thus had no reason to face one of her biggest fears by jumping into the lake. But Harry, on the other hand, had really jumped at the chance to get his 'princess' back. He couldn't have known if it would have truly worked, and he'd gone and done it anyway._

 _"It's not his fault." The other girl stated firmly. "He's not...patient, I guess. And he doesn't think things through. I would've seen it coming a mile away, but you couldn't have known what he was doing. I can't say I blame you though." She muttered, tilting her head back against the couch. "He really knows how to get into our head."_

 _"I guess so." Queenie mumbled dejectedly._

 _Harry's random gestures of affection and talk of promises had simply been empty words. He'd gone out of his way to get her to the lake with full intentions of throwing her in and reversing the magic on her brain. He didn't care about her, he only cared about his 'princess'._

 _"I wouldn't say that." The other girl sang gently, her brows raised as she looked at Queenie. "He likes you. I mean, it's kind of like a new challenge for him, isn't it? He gets to make his little princess fall in love with him all over again. But he does feel things for you...well, us. He's been holding back in Auradon, I can see it." A small frown crossed her face and she stared, eyes glazed over in thought._

 _Queenie had never felt so sympathetic towards someone in her life. It was entirely strange, since the girl she felt so sorry for was herself, but it hit her none the less. The forlorn expression on the other girls face, the way her nose crinkled and she occasionally gave a small, thoughtful smile. The princess couldn't tell if it was good things the other girl was thinking about, or bad._

 _"It's okay to grieve for yourself, y'know." The other girl said pointedly, giving her own opinion on Queenie's thoughts before the princess even voiced them. "We're doing well in Auradon. I can see inside your head. Ava seems amazing, she's so sweet. I'm glad we had some happiness, even if it was just for a little while." Her eyes flickered to the side and she pursed her lips. "When this is all over, you'll get what I mean."_

 _Queenie straightened, her form suddenly on high-alert at the other girls serious tone. "What are you talking about?" She inquired, unable to hide the shakiness of her voice. She was scared._

 _"You should be scared." The other girl warned, her own hazel eyes meeting Queenie's. "It wasn't all fun and games over here. We went through a lot, more than those Auradon assholes can even imagine in their worst nightmares. But there are good things too. Like all the fun we had with Gil. Dizzy doing our hair when we came to the salon. Even some things involving Harry." Her tone changed mid-way through, the darkness of her former words switching to a lighter, more fondly tone in the span of a few seconds._

 _"Will I see, um," Queenie hesitated, her hand smoothing at the area between her breasts._

 _The other girl smiled, as if it were a good memory, and did the same. "Of course. That was our fault, though. We did ask for it." She said._

 _"Why on earth would we ask for it?" Queenie demanded, her frustration growing at the thought of willingly enduring great pain for absolutely no reason. Even now, with her memory of it gone, she could somehow feel it. A burning pain, so hot and sharp that it sent tremors through her body._

 _"You think it's bad now, wait until you have a picture to go with it." The other girl jabbed. She leaned forward and stretched out her arm, pushing the 'on' button on the TV._ _At first it was just static, the buzzing of a picture without signal echoing through the otherwise silent room._

 _"We're watching it on the TV?" Queenie wondered out loud, her amusement and confusion clear to the other girl._

 _"You got any other ideas?" The other girl fired as a reply. And when Queenie stuttered and mouthed, unable to come up with anything easier in the moment, the other girl nodded with a satisfied expression. "No? Then shut up."_

 _Queenie pouted, but said nothing else on the matter. She shuffled around on the couch, making herself comfortable as the TV screen became clear and the static noise disappeared. All she could hope was that this would be over soon, and that it would be as painless as possible._

 _~...~...~_

"Things have been pretty boring, lately. No one really knows what happened to you so it's like nothing's changed out there. Chad's still being an asshole, sucking up when Ben's around and then getting all 'Chad' when he's not. The fairies don't speak to me anymore, they don't even look at me, but I guess I have you to thank for that, don't I Queenie?"

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Ava had at least hoped that, by talking to her sleeping friend, Queenie would somehow hear her voice and give her a sign to let her know she was okay. A wiggling finger, a mutter of some sort, even a small twitch of her nose. All of it would have set the little mermaids mind at ease. But there was still nothing, no sign of any kind that Queenie intended on waking up any time soon. She was still in the exact same position she'd been put in since Harry carried her back to Auradon Prep the day before. Laying on her back, her head turned to the side with her curls fanned out across the pillow, and the rest of her tucked up nicely underneath the thick blankets.

Ava sucked in a sharp breath and shook her head, her red hair flying about as she tried to shake the negative and horrible thoughts away. It had only been a day since Harry came back with Queenie, but the manner in which he'd done so would always be burned into the mermaids mind.

The red-head had been stuck in her room with Uma, Jay, and Uma's crew. It had been at least eight in the morning, a rough estimation as Ava had only had the time to glance at the small alarm clock on her bedside table. The two guards stationed outside of their bedroom door had come in, Fairy Godmother herself strolling between them to stare at the group with hard, unyielding eyes. She'd told them that if any of them had any idea on where Harry and Queenie had disappeared to then they should tell her straight away. Ava remembered clearly how the older woman made sure to tell them how much danger Queenie was in, that she wasn't in the right frame of mind to be running around somewhere in Auradon. But even Ava knew what the headmistress was trying to convey. She wasn't saying that anything in Auradon was a risk to Queenie's health, but that Queenie being with Harry specifically was a dangerous situation.

As per usual, Uma wasn't about to let it slide. She'd defend her first-mate to her last breath if she had to and that situation had been no different. She'd told F.G. over and over that keeping them locked up when they really had no idea where the two were wasn't a wise decision. She'd yelled that if the fairy wanted to find them so badly then they'd let them all go, since Uma knew Harry well enough to figure out where he'd taken Queenie. But by that point, Jay had immediately spotted something through the window.

That something had been Queenie and Harry. Ava could still hear Jay's loud exclaim that it was them when she thought hard enough. They'd all ran down the hallway and out of the school, meeting Harry halfway across the tourney field. But instead of shouting, or yelling, or even attempting to approach them closely, they'd all stopped in their tracks. Ava still had no real information on what had happened out at the Enchanted Lake, only a few tid-bits from Uma that Harry had attempted to remove the spell on Queenie by taking her into the Lake, letting its magical water wash away whatever it was keeping her memories from her. And maybe it had, but they had no real way of knowing.

Ava often played it in her head over and over again. Harry's unreadable expression as he carried a pale and lifeless Queenie back to her dorm room. Jay's utter guilt and frustration from either letting Queenie go with Harry, or being unable to completely protect her in the way he'd tried so hard to do. Uma, shuffling her feet as she fought an internal war with herself, unable to decide who she was more worried for. Even Gil had been effected in some way. He was usually so happy and bouncy, much like Ava herself, but that had all melted away into concern when they saw their friend.

No one had gone near Harry while he held Queenie, not even Fairy Godmother herself. He'd brought her back from the Enchanted Lake, through the forest around it and he seemed determined to get her to her dorm room himself. And he did. He'd put her down on top of the bed, only staying for a second or two, before rushing out of the room. He hadn't come out of his own room since. Gil was now being forced to share the room with Uma and Ava, too anxious to stay in his own bed due to Harry's mood-swings. And while Ava enjoyed having him around a lot more, they were all worried about Harry. As far as she knew he hadn't even come down to eat. He only opened the door for Uma and when she came back she never had much to divulge.

None of them knew when Queenie would wake up. Ava and Jay had been present when Fairy Godmother tried to take a peak into the girls mind, and Ben had also made sure to stay with them. He'd said that Auradon was his Kingdom to watch over, that all of the people deserved to be protected by him, and Queenie's story had truly done something to him. Jay had given him the ins and outs of the situation, and made sure to let him know that there was another council running things in Auradon without the King's knowledge. And though F.G. had been ruffled to know that the old thief was spilling small secrets to the King, there wasn't much she could say on the matter. After all, he was still her King.

The moment F.G. had put her hands to Queenie's temples, she'd quickly recoiled, staring down at her palms with utter panic and confusion. She couldn't look into Queenie's mind. There was something blocking her out, a magic more powerful than her own. She'd left after that, a fumbling mess of lilac as she hastily jogged out of the bedroom.

Since that morning Ava had come up with her own idea on why F.G. couldn't go prodding through Queenie's head. She knew that the Enchanted Lake was magic and that it washed away all spells, and a part of her wondered if some of that magic was still inside Queenie. Maybe it was working its way through her head, undoing every wall and ripping away every tamper it had endured. It was a more positive spin on an otherwise tragic turn of events. And once Jay explained to her that Queenie slept for three days straight after the first mind-wipe, Ava felt somewhat content. If it took three full days for F.G.'s spell to work itself into Queenie's brain, then maybe it would take three days for the Lake's magic to undo it all. She'd even given her opinion to Uma in the hopes the Captain could settle Harry with the idea, and she'd taken it with great enthusiasm and intrigue.

The door to the room clicked open and Ava turned her head. She gave a small nod to the guard who'd poked his head in to let her know her time was up, and he went back out without another word.

"I don't know if you can hear me, or if this is doing any good," Ava said loudly, looking down at her friend with a tearful gaze. "But we need you to wake up. Please, Queenie. We need you out here."

~...~...~

 _Queenie let out a small giggle of amusement, her eyes shining with mirth as she stared at the TV. At the moment it was showing her and Dizzy, a little girl she'd known only through Evie. They were in the Tremaine Salon, the little one working wonders on Queenie's hair as music blasted from the broken radio. The other girl had been right with one thing; Not all of the memories were bad._

 _Time moved differently in her mind. The scenes on the TV were clear and loud and so easy to get sucked into. Queenie knew she was asleep, she'd assumed as much, but what she didn't know was how much time had passed outside of her head. Had it been a day? Or a week? Or even more? She wasn't sure. She could only hope that by the time she woke up her friends would still be there, waiting for her._

 _The regaining of her memories was an odd thing. At first it had been quite like watching a movie, silently wondering what would be said next or what would play out. But Queenie had quickly realised that, as the scene played, she could see it in her own inner mind. There were smells and sounds that occasionally came through her nostrils or ears, things that a normal TV couldn't give out. But it was just her memories slotting back into place, bringing different noises and scents with them. And it didn't matter that there was a slight sting every time a certain scene had finished, what mattered most was that she was being given back that which was taken, and if all it cost her was a little pain then so be it._

 _Queenie quickly looked at the girl beside her. She hadn't been silent during this. She'd had her own things to mention, the odd 'You'll love this part,' or 'I can't wait for you to see this.' coming through her lips. And the strange unsettled feeling Queenie had felt when the other girl first appeared had long since faded. It now seemed like she was sat with a friend, like she was back on the Isle watching the Auradon news with Jay or Evie. It was familiar, and she adored it._

 _"I should give you a heads up." The other girl sighed once the picture faded from the screen, turning into a black void. "The heavy parts are coming. The things you probably could have gone without remembering." Her eyes darted about the room, her hands lightly rubbing at her arms as if there was a chill in the air. "But you have to see them."_

 _The young princess gave a small nod. A part of her had known full well since it started that, eventually, all the darker things she'd gone through would come to light. They'd somehow started off with the easier memories. The happier ones. Like meeting Gil, for instance. And dancing around in the Salon with Dizzy. There had to be balance and with the good came the bad. But what had her heart in her throat was the impending pain she was about to feel. Noises and sounds weren't the only things she'd endured during the 'show'. She'd also been able to feel bubbles of joy, or fingers through her hair, and if she could feel all of that then surely she would also feel the pain._

 _Queenie absentmindedly rubbed her scar, using her eyes to question the other girl when she was unable to use her voice._

 _"Yeah. You'll feel that too." The other girl confirmed, a little less comfortable about that particular memory now that Queenie was about to re-live it. "But I'm here, y'know. I've been through it. You're not alone." She stated firmly._

 _Queenie sighed and gave a small, slightly anxious, smile. She was now so, so grateful that her Isle-self had come into the equation. It didn't matter that they were the same person. She had someone there to go through this with her, and even if it was herself, at least it was someone._

 _Queenie chewed her bottom lip with worry as they both turned back to face the screen. Her left hand took a tight hold of the other girls right, and the other girl tightened her fingers slightly to let Queenie know she was there, and that she wasn't going anywhere. It was a welcomed comfort, one Queenie would treasure by the_ _time everything was done._

 _The screen was black...at first. It soon changed so that even though it was still dark, and she could barely see anything, Queenie could see silhouettes. There was only one, a small, hidden figure in some kind of tunnel formed from tin. The unknown person was huddled tightly against the wall, shaking and moaning. A constant drip-drop was heard, and Queenie could hear it loudly in her left ear. Water droplets hitting the floor of the tunnel, she assumed._

 _"This is how you met Harry." The other girl whispered, her eyes trained on the TV as she spoke to Queenie. "We don't remember much from before him. Faces will start coming back to you one by one, some scarier than others. But they're not going to hurt you now."_

 _Queenie took in a deep and shaky breath. Every time she attempted to breathe in a little too deep, a sharp and bruising pain ached in her right side. She shivered uncontrollably, suddenly feeling like she'd gone swimming and then jumped into the snow. She couldn't move her legs, both limbs stinging in multiple places every time she tried, and she couldn't even feel her feet. They were completely numb._

 _"W-what...?" Queenie couldn't speak a full sentence. Her bottom lip stung in the corner, and her jaw felt tender, the smallest poke sending a large spike of pain through her entire cheek._

 _"You're feeling it all, Queenie." The other girl explained grimly._

 _The young princess continued to watch the TV. She struggled through each sharp breath and movement of her limbs on the screen. She watched as Harry came through the tunnel, took a look at her and then walked away. She could hear his bored voice in her ears and her own pleading with him to let her be. And she saw him come back and promise to take care of her and tell her that no one else would hurt her. No one but him._

 _Eventually, like the others, it went away. Queenie could breathe deeply and without any pain. She could move her legs and feel her toes once more. And when she touched her jaw bone or her lip neither hurt. It was over just like that. But the memory wasn't. It was firmly engraved into her mind now, and she was overwhelmingly pleased that Harry hadn't left her alone in the tunnel._

 _"You okay?" The other girl asked worriedly, and Queenie nodded her head in response. "Good." The other girl muttered in relief, eyes intently staring at the new scene on the TV. "Because there's more where that came from."_

~...~...~

Uma stormed towards the familiar bedroom door, raising a hand made into a fist and giving three loud knocks. She grumbled quieted words of insult to herself as she waited for the door to swing open, her Captains instinct rearing its ugly head once more and fully intent on giving her first-mate hell.

The doorknob jiggled and twisted and Uma could hear the faint 'click' of the latch being undone. The door finally came open and, without a word, the VK walked through.

"Captain." Harry greeted solemnly.

Uma greeted her best friend with a nod, her eyes sweeping over his form as she scrunched up her nose with disgust. He smelt terrible, as if he hadn't taken the time to jump in the shower since he'd locked himself up inside the bedroom.

 _'Then again,'_ she thought to herself, he probably hadn't.

It had been two days since he brought Queenie back to Auradon Prep, and much to the disappointment of them all she was still sleeping. But with the way Harry was acting anyone would have thought _he_ was the one suffering. His complete refusal to leave his bedroom or talk to anyone apart from his Captain was one thing, but not accepting the food she brought to him was borderline idiotic. He was acting like Queenie had actually died when, in reality, she was just asleep. And even after Uma gave him Ava's opinion on Queenie's state he was still the same. And his Captain was so done with it.

"Harry, I need you to stop acting like a brat, okay?" Uma said with a large smile, the notion hardly reassuring by the obvious fire in her eyes.

"I don' know what ye wan' me ta say, Captain." Harry drawled, falling back onto his unmade bed with a loud 'oomph'.

Uma took a breath in an attempt to calm herself and shook her head at him incredulously. She thought by now she'd be used to this from him, but she really wasn't. Flirty and obnoxious Harry she knew like the back of her hand. Temperamental Harry was a pain in the ass, but again, he could be handled. _This_ Harry, however, was the worst of the bunch.

The sulking Harry. The part of him that very rarely showed itself to anyone unless something had hurt him in some way. A side of him that no one, aside from Uma herself of course, was allowed to see. The tell-tale signs were all there too. Damaged or completely destroyed property, the room dimmed to darkness by closed curtains and switched-off lights, uneaten food scattered across the floor or a nearby surface. All of it was a part of Harry's dramatic temper-tantrum.

"Why aren't you eating, then?" Uma decided to ask, hoping a different approach would earn her a better answer from the pirate.

"I'm not hungry." He stated.

The teal-haired girl pressed her knuckles to her mouth, her frustration evident. She'd tried to be nice and understanding, and it wasn't working. She'd tried to sympathise with him, knowing she'd be in much the same state if it had been Ava laying in the bed. But patience wasn't quite her forte; At least not with Harry. She was a smart girl and she could play the waiting game if she had to but this was not one of those times.

"I need something here, Harry." Uma said loudly, keeping her own hidden temper at bay for the time being. This was the last time she'd play nice, and if he still stayed the same then she was switching it up a notch.

When the first-mate replied with only a grunt of acknowledgement, Uma set towards the curtains with a fierce determination. If kind words and gestures wouldn't get through to the stubborn pirate then maybe some acts of annoyance would. If he was so eager to play the victim in all of this then Uma would come at him full-swing.

"Fuckin' hell, Uma!" Harry shouted crudely, yanking a pillow over his face.

Uma ignored his curses and continued to open every curtain and window. The bedroom could really use some light and she had to get rid of the lingering odour somehow.

"Jay said Queenie could be asleep for three days." She said, ignoring the rumble in her shoes as her feet made contact with something on the floor. "I am not dealing with this shit for three days!" She exclaimed, turning back to face him once her task was done.

In the dark it was easy to ignore the state of the room, but when the light came pouring in it was a little harder to look over. Harry had really gone out of his way on this one.

Uma's nose was well-adjusted to her mothers shop and the usual overbearing scents that came with it, and she found it helped a lot now. Her eyes roamed over the rotted food still on their plates, along with warming glasses of juice or water resting next to them. Clothes were strewn haphazardly across the floor, bundled up into large mounds. Gil's bed wasn't even a bed anymore, just a large tower of wood and feathers. The place was completely destroyed.

"What the fuck, Harry?!" Uma yelled with wide, startled eyes. She'd expected mess and disorganization but she hadn't quite prepared herself for _this._ It was like being back on the ship in Harry's little bedroom. That place had been a mess on the Isle but his room now was a lot bigger than that, which also meant more targets for his anger whenever he lost his shit.

"What are ye yellin' at me for?" Harry mumbled, peaking out from underneath the cushion he'd carelessly tossed over his face to block out the light.

Uma walked towards him, her hand raised and mouth open, readying herself for a large, drawn-out scolding he surely deserved. However, she had to stop when her foot knocked something over with a slight 'clank'. An empty bottle of wine, she realised, as she knelt down to inspect. And it wasn't the only one, either.

"Where did you get these?" She asked, her tone softer than it had been a moment before. She raised to her full height with one of the bottles clasped in her fingers, instantly recognizing the Auradon label glued onto it.

"I asked Gilly-boy ta nick a few." He explained.

The Auradon-Born weren't too fond of alcohol. It was safely locked up down in the kitchens, only brought out when an important gathering was being held. It was made for the older generation and as far as Uma knew the students were forbidden from touching the stuff. There was even a rule for it in the 'Goodness' book. They weren't to go near the alcohol as it could be included as a harmful and addictive substance, brewed only for those mature enough to handle it. But Harry had been born and raised on the Isle, and he was the son of Captain Hook himself. They also had their own versions of the stuff back on the Isle and it was a lot stronger than this, so Harry must have been overdoing it to get the effects he wanted.

"I thought you cut back on this crap." Uma seethed, dropping the bottle to the floor. It smashed, but Uma couldn't really care less. Right now she was more worried about her first-mate and his drinking habits than she was about a few shards of glass added to the already enormous pile of garbage in Harry's room.

"I did." Harry mumbled in response. He moved about in his bed for a moment or two, his un-hooked hand blindly searching for something until he found it. "I decided to give it one las' go." He said as his ring-clad fingers wrapped around the neck of another bottle, pressing the rim to his lips and gulping it down.

Uma grimaced as she watched him, how his throat moved and adam's apple bobbed. He was going way too fast for her to be comfortable, but if his intention had been to soothe his Captain then he wouldn't have gone near the wine in the first place.

Harry released the bottle with a loud 'pop', licking his lips and any remnants away as he moved to lay on his back. His eyes were closed and his chest rose and fell with gentle breaths, his fingers scratching at his stomach. He was falling asleep.

Uma groaned and carried on moving towards him. Her anger hadn't dulled in the slightest, despite how testy he got when he was drinking, and if anything it had only increased. She gave his cheek a light tap with the back of her hand, then doing it a little harder until she got her desired reaction.

"What do ye bloody wan'?" Harry asked as he made a poor attempt at swatting her hand away, his body drained and slowed from the liquid consumption.

"I want to know why you're drinking, asshole." Uma spat, gripping his wrist in her small hand. "What, the fuck, is wrong?!"

"I don't know!" He shouted quickly and abruptly. His eyes flew open as he moved his upper body into the air, his eyes softening slightly as he looked at his Captain. "I don't know." He repeated, only this time it was quieter and somewhat of a plead.

Uma released a breath she hadn't even known she'd been holding. She pushed and shoved at Harry until there was enough room for her to squeeze onto the bed. He moaned and muttered in objection and she ignored him, settling herself against the headboard as she watched him.

"What's going on in there, Harry?" She inquired with a huff.

"I don' know, Uma." He replied, pressing his hands to his eyes. "It's more like a feelin', ye know? This bloody ache every time I think about her. An' I can hear her voice in my head, over an' over again. I jus' need it ta stop, Captain."

"You ever felt this before?" Uma asked. She had a very small inkling as to what was going on with her best-friend, but she didn't want to voice her thoughts on the matter just yet. She had to know more first, otherwise she'd just scare him.

"Aye. Once."

"And what did you do then?"

"I lit her place on fire." He sighed.

Uma raised a single, knowing brow. "And?" She pressed.

Harry stared up at his Captain with half-lidded eyes, the puffiness surrounding them mildly hidden by black smudges of unremoved eyeliner. He pursed his lips adamantly, unwilling to repeat just what he'd done after Queenie had left the Isle.

"An' I stayed in the ship for a week." Was his reluctant mutter, the piercing stare of Uma's dark eyes a lot stronger than he could handle in his current state.

"Thank you." Uma said with a small, satisfied smile. "Well I've got good news, and bad news. Which do you want first?"

"I could do with somethin' good." Harry said as he raised the bottle to his mouth once more. Though his attempts were thwarted by Uma, who'd snatched it from his grasp and took a long, thirsty gulp.

"I know what's wrong with you." She informed, scowling down at the poorly brewed alcohol. It was practically tasteless and bubbled way too much on the tongue, and didn't come even close to their own Isle-brand.

"What?" Harry asked quickly, shooting up into a seated position. A stupid thing to do, he realised, as his vision began to blur and his body swayed.

"That's where the bad part comes into it." Uma admitted with a slight wince, resting the bottle on the bedside table. "You're worried."

Harry furrowed his brows. "About?"

"Queenie."

"Oh for fucks sake!" He exclaimed, his hand covering his eyes as he lowered himself to the bed once more.

"Don't be an ass, Harry. I'm telling you what you already know. And what I already know." She said sternly, rolling her eyes at his antics. "She's _your girl,_ Harry. It's okay to worry about her. Hell, I worry about Ava."

"She's not my lass, Uma, we never made it official. An' why should I be worried anyway? She's a pain in the bloody arse, I don' even like her." Harry grumbled pathetically.

"I'm sorry. You're right, you don't like her."

"Thank ye."

"Because you love her."

It was a bold move on Uma's part and they both knew it. They'd discussed his relationship with Queenie many times before, and often he would go down fighting, trying anything to convince his Captain that it was nothing more than a friendship of some sort. Every time the subject of 'feelings' came about he'd put up his defences, fighting back at the accusation with sarcasm, jokes, and even threats and violence if he was pushed way too far. But this was another subject all together. Uma had never voiced her thoughts on him loving the little princess, knowing it was too much for the pirate to handle. Now, it seemed, she was comfortable enough to talk about it with him.

Uma wasn't swayed by the look of utter betrayal and annoyance she was receiving from her friend. Hell, he could deny it all he wanted but they both knew the truth. His actions and words since arriving in Auradon, and maybe even before, said it loud and clear. He'd fallen for Queenie and no amount of destruction and nasty remarks aimed towards her could take it away.

"You fight dirty." Harry pouted, pointing a finger in the direction he hoped his Captain was in. It was a little hard to tell, what with the amount of toxicity running through his veins.

"Just admit it, Harry." Uma said, flicking his hand away as it shakily pointed towards the door a little to her left. She knew it was meant for her. "Is it so hard to believe?"

"Aye, it is! I don' love her, Uma. She's annoyin', an' kind, an' everythin' Bore-Adon could want. She can' even fight for fucks sake. Ye've los' yer bloody min'."

"Hey, you were the one who wanted her heart, remember?" Uma re-capped, her hands in the air slightly to show that she was not the one to blame. "It's possible that while you were too focussed on trying to win her over, she did the exact same thing to you. You don't want to say it but that little princess actually managed to 'hook' you."

"Now 'ang on a minute, Uma." Harry immediately began to object. "I am not 'hooked'. An' I don' want ye tellin' people I am."

Uma, once again, rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to tell anyone anything. I never have, and I never will. All I'm saying is, maybe if you accept that you-" she stopped at the dangerous look Harry gave her. "That you _like_ her, and that you're worried about her, then maybe all of this will go away." She wildly waved her hand towards the room and then to Harry, hoping she was finally getting through to him in some way.

"I like her. I'm worried about her." Harry rolled the words around in his mouth for a moment. They were hugely unfamiliar and he loathed to say them, but he was willing to try anything at this point.

"Feel better?" Uma wondered.

"No! I'm still bloody worried." Harry fumed.

"Yeah, well, she'll be fine." His Captain said with a sharp nod, lightly patting his bare chest. "She's stronger than we thought. She should wake up in a couple more days."

"I suppose." Harry drawled. He warily looked over his Captain, knowing what he had to do but having the utmost difficulty in saying it. Even to her. "Uma-"

A loud, hair-raising wail pierced through the thick wood of the bedroom door, cutting Harry off in his sentence and grasping both his and Uma's attention. They both jumped to alert, and Uma was the first to move. She yanked the door open with force, a few guards flying by in a blur of blue and gold.

"What's going on?!" She yelled out into the commotion.

Harry couldn't see much from his spot beside the bed. He could see the back of Uma as she leaned out to see what was going on, and though he couldn't quite hear her over the screeches he knew she was speaking to someone.

"What's going on?" He asked loudly.

Uma said something to the person on the other side of the door and then came back in. She turned slowly, her face showing something akin to concern as she locked eyes with her first mate.

"It's Queenie."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Hi readers! Just me again.**

 **First things first...yay! Queenie's finally getting her memories back. I wasn't so sure on how to write it though, so I went with the idea that came first. And I hope you guys liked it.**

 **Secondly, we got to see more of how Harry feels for Queenie in this chapter. He has been a bit of dick through 'S.O.S' and this story as well, so while writing the bit with him and Uma was a bit of a challenge I also enjoyed it. It was nice to write a somewhat 'nicer' Harry than the one I've been showing up until this point.**

 **I'm going to acknowledge some reviews now. You guys were amazing with the last chapter, so here we go;**

 **Jon Snow Warrior Queen** **; I apologise, I didn't mean to leave you in wanting. But I will proudly admit that I'm a huge sucker for cliff-hangers. And I'm really glad you liked the chapter. :)**

 **PinkTribeChick;** **Here is your update and I hope you like it!**

 **AmeliaKaneShadow;** **THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'm glad you like it. :)**

 **Guest;** **Yup, Harry's actions have set things in motion. And believe me, I'm also eager to have Queenie back to normal. And there will be some interaction between her and the council, but we'll have to wait for that.**

 **labyrinthloverxx;** **Hello! I'm so happy you liked the previous chapter. Honestly, I was considering the idea of 'true-loves-kiss', but I had to step back and think about it. Doing it that way would have been a little too cheesy for this story, so I went with a more realistic option when it came to Harry and Queenie.**

 **Guest;** **I'm really glad you're enjoying the story. And I know I've been a bit rough with Harry's character during this, and I've made him out to be someone who really shouldn't be trusted, but he's not. As for him being a bit more gentle with Queenie, I'm not too sure if he ever will be. I do have some tender-ish moments planned for them but nothing too big. This is Harry, after all.** **  
**

 **NerdAlert; Yep! Precisely.**

 **Echo Silver;** **Yay! I'm so happy you like it. And I know, Harry is a bit harsh when it comes to Queenie, but it's kind of part of him. He shows his protectiveness in some 'not-so-good' ways, but I guess he means well.**

 **Anyway, that's it for now. Much love to all who've reviewed, favourited and followed. It means a lot that you're enjoying this story. Please leave a review or PM to let me know what you thought about this chapter. Thanks!**

 **Any typos will be removed once I've had a proper read through.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Warnings;**

 **Slight sexual situation further towards the end. Slight violence as well.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Jay bolted out of Evie's dorm room and straight towards Queenie's, his mind singing praises for the Isle and the troubles that came with it. If he hadn't have been a thief, he'd have either run out of breath by now or crashed into some innocent bystander. Thankfully, he did neither. He moved swiftly yet cautiously as he made his way towards Queenie's room, adrenaline coursing through his veins as his heart pounded in his ears.

The princess of Hearts had been asleep for two days, and Jay had been forced to shamefully admit to an annoyed Evie that he hadn't been to see her since. He'd let Queenie down in the worst way possible. First, by leaving her to fend for herself on the Isle of the Lost. Then he'd left her there again after they'd returned for Mal. And he knew his third strike had been allowing F.G. to take her memories away. His good intentions had caused disastrous results and he was now starting to see the consequences of his actions. It didn't matter that he'd only let Queenie carry on in Auradon without her memories in an effort to give her a good life. He'd had to admit to himself that his reasoning had been utterly selfish. He'd thought that by ridding Queenie of everything horrible she'd endured without him, he could somehow make up for being the reason she'd gone through it in the first place. And for a while he thought he'd done the right thing by her, but now he knew he hadn't. All he'd done was provide a temporary pause to an incredibly large problem.

Jay's reasons for not visiting Queenie during her 'sleep' had also been rather selfish of him. A part of him knew full well that, when she woke up, she wouldn't ever speak to him again. And that killed him. But that wasn't all. Queenie's current state could have been completely avoided if he'd just spoken up in her defence. He should have told F.G. to give her back her memories as soon as she hid them, but he hadn't. He'd gone along with everything, assuring himself over and over again that this was all for Queenie. So to see her trapped in her own head and re-living all the memories she'd had taken away from her was much too painful for him. So he'd simply stayed away.

He couldn't do that now. Now, something was off. Everyone had heard Queenie's blood-curdling screaming, maybe even those on the other side of the school. It was so loud and so pitched that it rang in his ears. And it hadn't stopped either. If anything it had gotten worse, louder even. So he didn't care if she didn't want to see him, and he didn't care if she hated him for what he'd done. He had to make sure she was okay. It was the least he could do.

When he eventually got to Queenie's dorm room, he had to stop in the doorway, his hands gripping the frame like a vice. He took in deep breaths, his rush fading now that he'd arrived at his destination.

"Jane," Jay said loudly, catching the girls attention. He didn't know why it was her in the room instead of F.G., but he wasn't about to question it either.

"I have to get my mom, I'm not equipped to handle this." Jane gasped hurriedly, her panic-stricken eyes staring up at him.

Queenie's dorm room, usually so quiet and peaceful, had erupted into utter chaos. She was thrashing around in her bed, her screams dulled but still as terrifying as they'd been before. Her legs kicked at the blankets wrapped around them, her head tossing from side to side as her entire form broke out into a large sweat. Whatever she was dreaming about, it wasn't good.

"What happened?" Jay asked the younger fairy, lightly grasping her upper arms in desperation.

"I-I don't know." She whimpered in reply. "One minute everything's fine and the next-" Jane stopped and looked back over her shoulder. "I don't know what's wrong."

Jay sighed and gripped at his hair. He could only watch as Queenie carried on, the two guards that were always at her door holding down her arms by the wrists. If they couldn't see what was going on, how the hell were they supposed to help?

"Jay."

The former thief turned at the sound of Uma's voice. She was in the doorway, her eyes trained on a frantic Queenie. But once Jay spotted the pirate behind her, all thoughts flew out of his mind. He saw red.

"Jay!" Uma yelled, darting out of his direction. Without her sword she couldn't do anything, and Jay certainly had his target locked. If she got caught in the middle it would be a very messy fight.

"What the fuck is wrong with her?!" Jay demanded, shoving Harry up against the wall in the hallway. He pinned him there with his hands, using every ounce of strength he had to keep the first-mate in place.

The old VK knew full well that Harry had been source of many of Queenie's problems and he was certain that this was no different. The first-mate had pounced on Queenie the moment he knew they weren't coming back, and Jay had a small feeling that it was merely to get back at them. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if it had all been Uma's idea in the first place, but his war was with Harry. And though the pirate may have been nothing more than a pain in the ass when Jay was on the Isle, he'd now grown into a full blown pest. Especially where Queenie was concerned. So even though Jay knew Queenie would hate him more for hurting Harry, he just couldn't help but blame him.

"I haven' seen her yet, so how the hell do I know?!" Harry shouted back, his gaze wandering over Jay's shoulder and into Queenie's room. "Let me see her."

"You're not going anywhere near her. Not now and never again." Jay said adamantly.

"Ye tried that once before, mate." Harry said with a dark chuckle. "How well did that work out for ye?"

Jay pulled back his arm, his hand clenched into a tight fist as he drew back. He could beg for Queenie's forgiveness later.

"Hey!" Uma exclaimed, shoving herself between the pirate and thief. She kept her back to Harry, her small hands shoving Jay back a step. "This isn't helping. Now, I'm not saying it's a great plan either, but _he_ might be able to help her." She said firmly, attempting to put as much space between the two as she could. "You want to keep Queenie safe, I get that, but so does Harry. You have to let him try."

A tense and awkward silence came down onto the three. Jay stood still, shuffling around on his feet as he tried as best as he could to reign in his fury. Harry leaned back against the wall, his left hand tightening the grip on its hook as he watched Jay, his eyes often flickering into the room behind him. And Uma was in the middle, her dark eyes warily scanning both teenagers as she waited for the situation to die down.

"Fine." Jay spat with reluctance. He hated to admit it to himself and he never would say it out loud; But Uma was right. Harry was an asshole and everyone knew that, but he'd also spent a lot of time with Queenie and there was a very good chance he could help her. So if Jay had to retreat to spare his friend the pain she was going through, he'd do it.

"Good." Uma sighed with a twinge of relief. It could have gone either way, and if they'd been back on the Isle it very well may have turned into an all-out war. But this was Auradon, and somehow it had tamed Jay.

The same couldn't be said for Harry, however.

"Now be a good boy an' toddle on, yeah?" The first-mate jabbed, the urge to kick Jay while he was down too good of an opportunity to pass up.

"Go check on Queenie." Uma demanded of her friend, her irritation towards his obnoxious antics coming back stronger than ever. Jay may have been tamed but he still had some Isle inside of him, and Harry's continued remarks would eventually force it out.

"Fine." Harry sighed with mock-annoyance, hastily moving by them and into Queenie's dorm room.

"If he hurts her I'll kill him." Jay swore, his statement aimed towards Uma.

"If he hurts her, we all will." She promised, finally releasing the hold she had on his arm as they walked into the room.

~...~...~

 _'Please, stop.'_

 _Since the scene had come up on the TV, Queenie had been running on full anxiety. Her palms had sweat and her heart had practically jumped up into her throat. She'd known what was coming the moment it started, but nothing could have prepared her for it. Not even the soothing presence of her other self could have helped her. But at least the other girl had tried. Her gentle tone and reassuring statements that 'it would all be over soon,' wasn't lost on the young princess, but they hadn't helped in the slightest._

 _The pain had been so overwhelming that she'd had nothing to do but voice it. Her entire mind had stopped once she'd realised what was about to happen and her emotions had gone into overdrive. She'd even tried to run from it. Queenie had shaken her head, making a split-second decision that she couldn't do it, but her attempts had been halted by the other girl. When she'd reached to switch off the TV the other girl had jumped into action, her hands locking down Queenie's wrists and keeping her there._

 _'You have to feel it.' She'd said, her eyes conveying the uttermost regret she had to offer. And minutes after Queenie knew why._

 _When she woke up from it all, Queenie knew full well that should anyone see her scar and ask what being 'hooked' felt like, she would never be able to give them a simple reply. It had started off as a sting, something uncomfortable but easy for her to handle. However, when Harry dug his hook in even further it took a very large turn for the worst. It burned and ached all at once, and for a second she'd thought he was carving her heart right out of her chest. It had been unbearable, her entire upper body burning and screaming in protest as he mutilated her for his own benefit. So if anyone ever did ask her, she'd only be able to tell them one thing._

 _Claimed. One small word that could bring out a hundred questions. And it was the only thing she could think to describe that amount of dedication towards someone. After all, the other girl had been right; She had asked for it. Begged for it, even. Queenie had been so eager to prove herself to Harry that she hadn't fully thought out her entire plan when she'd asked him to do it. She could see it in her head now, how she'd expected to be marked, but not in a place chosen by Harry himself._

 _Queenie blinked as the scene faded from the screen, both her own screams and that of herself on the TV fading. It was finally over._

 _"Are you okay?" The other girl asked worriedly, letting go of Queenie's wrists to sit back on the couch._

 _The young princess bit her bottom lip and stuttered out a breath. She was in absolutely no way 'okay'. Her cheeks were soaked with salty tears, her eyes red and swollen from the amount shed. Her body was warm, the aftermath of her sweating spell lingering on her skin. Her chest didn't burn anymore, and no longer could she feel the cold of Harry's hook piercing her skin. Her body was back to normal, but her mind was far from settled._

 _There had been a few memories played before that one, every single scene containing Harry as a secondary character. Queenie had watched how they interacted on the Isle, how skittish she'd been around him and how manically excited he seemed when she came into his view. Her chest fluttered every single time he came around and her stomach churned with apprehensive twinges. Much the same as they'd been before she remembered. She feared him and adored him at the same time and it infuriated her to no end._

 _"I don't know." Queenie finally found the energy to reply. She stared down at her hands, her fingers shaking as she re-counted the events in her head. It was over and she could still somehow feel it. All the other pains and horrible stings had disappeared, but this one in particular was sticking to her._

 _"It'll always be there." The other girl said with a small, saddened smile._

 _"I know." Queenie muttered._

 _Getting her memories back was quickly becoming a struggle. The good had been wonderful, and having them back was an utter blessing. But the bad were horrible. And what was worse was that they weren't at all in order. Some were older than others, though she'd been reassured by the other girl that the first memory she had after the VK's had left had been meeting Harry. There had been smaller moments between her meeting with him and her friends leaving her, but apparently they'd never fully return. Even now they were blurry, only numerous flashes of her running for her life or hiding away in her den appeared in clear view. She really hadn't done well before Harry found her and she was starting to understand a little more about him, and why he was so dead-set on keeping her around._

 _There would be more memories to come and Queenie knew that, but the ones she'd seen of her and Harry so far made everything a little clearer. He'd saved her. He'd taken her in when she had no one else to turn to and, despite whatever intentions he had then, had done everything for her. He'd let her stay in his room in the ship while she healed, brought her food and water and refused to leave until she digested both. He'd helped her go back to her den when she was ready, making damn sure everyone saw him with her when he took her back, an act of possessiveness to others but to her it was more. He'd kept her safe and protected, just as promised, from everyone but himself._

 _Queenie's opinions on Harry had greatly changed. She still saw an arrogant, violent and slightly-insane pirate. But there were some redeemable attributes to add. He could also be considerate, calm and, if the situation demanded it of him, kind. What they'd had on the Isle had truly been a messed up and twisted relationship, but he'd been her friend, and he'd done so much more for her than the Core-Four ever could have._

 _"There you go." The other girl said with slight excitement, a bright gleam lighting up in her eyes at the sight of Queenie's small change-of-heart. "I told you. He can be an asshole, but he's ours. And we're his."_

 _Queenie nodded, though she couldn't quite hide her confusion at the other girls statement. Everything she'd seen so far had been nothing more than a friendship of sorts. Nothing more than that had made itself known. Harry was a huge flirt, that much she knew, from what she'd seen and remembered and everything she'd endured with him on the outside proved as much. He was insanely gorgeous and his charm wasn't at all lost on anyone, and he clearly enjoyed using it to his advantage. She may have 'belonged' to him, but he was in no way hers._

 _"Oh, you'll see." The other girl smirked._

 _~...~...~_

Harry whistled a small tune, his hook laying on the bedside table beside him as he flicked through the pages of a book he'd found in Queenie's room. He scanned the writing in the pages with little enthusiasm, abandoning every story as he read the titles at the top of the page and moving onto the next. He held no great interest in learning how Cinderella met her Prince Charming, or how Sleeping Beauty's Prince defeated Maleficent and woke her from her long slumber. They were much too repetitive. A girl being thrown into trouble of some kind and a boy running in to save them. They all ended with a 'happily ever after' that made him shiver in disgust. The only tales he'd actually taken the time to read had been Mulan's; A woman saving the men. And though it hadn't ended in some romantic crap that made him cringe it still held that 'H.E.A.' at the end and that made it irritating.

The first-mate took a quick glance up at his princess, his gaze then returning to the book. She was still sleeping.

It hadn't taken long for Queenie to settle back down, but the manner in which she'd done so had been a little strange. One moment she was screaming bloody murder and the next she was silent. Her moving stopped and her breathing slowed, and soon enough everything was as it had been. None of them had played a part in it, not even Harry. Which led them all to believe what she'd been going through had simply been something in her mind, not a physical attack as they'd all worried about.

Harry staying in Queenie's room to keep watch, however, hadn't entirely been his idea. He'd planned on retreating back to his room to continue his 'sulking', as Uma enjoyed to put it. But his Captain had other plans. She'd used her position to her advantage and demanded he stayed with Queenie, just in case she took another turn. He found the idea utterly ridiculous. If Queenie did start up again then there was nothing he could do except leave her be and let her ride it out. But he knew full well the only reason Uma even told him to stay was because of him, not Queenie. Maybe she thought it was best for Harry to spend some time with the princess, that it would break him out of his 'funk' in some way. But all it really did was make him bored. Bored and tired.

With a huff of annoyance Harry closed the book and leaned back in the chair. He clasped his arms together behind his head and lifted his feet up onto Queenie's bed, crossing them at the ankles. He wasn't overly fond of staying still and the thought of staying on 'house-arrest' until his Captain came to get him made him a little bit more irritable than usual.

When nothing of interest in Queenie's room caught his eye, Harry's wandering gaze eventually came back to the sleeping princess. He'd seen her asleep many times before this, but she was truly out of it this time. Back on the Isle, when she'd been recovering in his room on the ship, she'd often turn in her sleep, her eyes clenching every few seconds as if she was having a bad dream. Her hands would grasp the thin blanket he'd thrown over her, her small moans and groans often filling the silence. Now, though, there was nothing like that. She didn't move and she didn't make any noise. She didn't do anything at all.

Harry furrowed his brows in thought, a sudden curiosity sneaking its way into his mind. He brought his legs down from the bed and slowly moved from the chair. He spared once glance towards the bedroom door, a part of him wondering if the guards would come bursting in. But when he was satisfied that they wouldn't be taking a look anytime soon, he carried on.

After some careful movement and seconds that seemed to drag into hours, Harry eventually found what he was looking for.

He hadn't properly looked at it since she'd allowed him to do it, but he hadn't ever really asked her. The small hook-shaped scar was roughly the size of the palm of her hand, carved rather messily into the skin between her breasts. Now that he could see it clearer than ever, he knew he'd done a terrible job. But it hadn't been his fault entirely. He'd never in all his life been asked to 'hook' someone, let alone someone as meek and simple as Queenie, and her offer had completely thrown him that day.

The events leading up towards her 'hooking' hadn't been anything too unusual. He could remember it now. She'd asked him to take her back to the den and, as always, he'd immediately jumped to defence. He still re-counted how angry he'd been at her request, how utterly offended he'd been at the thought of her leaving him because her health had come back to her. After everything they'd been through together he now knew that, no matter what, she wouldn't have left him. But back then things hadn't been quite so easy. Back then he hadn't fully trusted her.

 _'Are ye tryin' ta run from me, princess?'_ He could clearly remember himself asking. Her eyes had widened with absolute dread when she'd realised what he was attempting to accuse of her trying to do, and he couldn't quite blame her for that. He knew how scary he could be, how overbearing he was sometimes, but it was just how he was.

 _'No, no Harry,'_ Queenie had tried so hard to make him see that she wasn't going to leave. She'd tried to speak but he'd stopped her every single time, throwing nasty comments her way as well as reminders of how much he'd done for her.

The large argument they'd had that night had been purely one-sided, leaning in his favour. Queenie had grown during her time with him but she never would have spoken back to him then. He'd really given her his all that night. The dangerous expression that had even the strongest surrendering to him, his ability to throw anyone off their guard when he forcefully pushed himself into their bubble. All of it. He had used everything in his power to sway her mind and keep her there with him, confident that she had no defences against him.

 _'Hook me.'_

Queenie had, in the plainest of terms, grabbed him by the balls by saying that. And he'd dropped his act quick. His eyes had widened just a fraction, his brows furrowing in absolute bewilderment as he stared into her innocent hazel eyes. At first he'd thought she was talking about sex. After all, a girl asking for his hook wasn't as uncommon as one might think, and his frazzled mind had come to that conclusion before anything else.

He'd brought himself back around soon enough. He'd smirked down at her, unravelling her with his gaze as he hastily attempted to find a witty enough reply.

 _'Ye're a little weak for me, lass.'_ He'd told her, though that couldn't have been further from the truth. In all honesty the thought of being her first had been very, very tempting for him. But his sadistic ass had been waiting for her to beg him for it, still not understanding exactly what it was she wanted him to do.

 _'Not that, Harry.'_ She'd muttered with a small blush, looking away for a second. Her eyes had eventually travelled towards his hook. _'Hook me.'_

Harry gave a small chuckle as he remembered his reaction. He'd been, maybe for the first time, absolutely stumped. He'd even had to take a few minutes to think over the idea. He'd hooked people before but they hadn't ever been so willing. So to have Queenie in his room, on his bed, almost pleading with him to do it...well, it would have thrown anyone's mind through a loop.

Queenie hadn't known it then, but she would eventually come to find that what she should have asked him to do was 'claim' her.

Claiming on the Isle was a rarity, and it wasn't something to be taken lightly. No one Harry knew had ever been claimed and he never had any intention to do so himself. It was the biggest commitment on the Isle. Marriage and dating was never really a thing and thus, no one had any real reason to go through any of that bullshit. So they had their own thing, something Harry assumed the original villains had come up with to spit in the face of all the Auradon-Born who'd put them there.

The Isle of the Lost was a dark and evil place, and the relationships that brewed there were much the same. But they had rules. One villain claiming another had to be consensual, that much was true. One had to be willing to do the act and the other had to be willing to take it. It was something no one rushed into with eagerness. To be claimed by another villain could in some ways be a good thing. It meant that you were protected by them and taken care of by them, and no one else could say otherwise. But in true villainous fashion it also had its downsides. The claimed would always wear a mark of some sort by the claimer, something that would always stay on their body until they passed; Usually a tattoo. But the claimed would be forever tied to their claimer, forced to do whatever was asked of them no matter what, and they most certainly wouldn't be allowed to stray from their claimer.

And Queenie had been naïve enough to tempt him with it.

Harry had, of course, let the idea lull around in his mind for a while. And he'd been stupidly self-absorbed enough to take it. After all, he wouldn't have said no then. In his mind he'd have been able to keep Queenie with him for as long as he wanted and she'd never be able to leave him. He didn't even have to think twice about taking care of her, because he'd done enough of it up until that point and thought it rather easy.

He'd been such an idiot.

Taking care of Queenie on the Isle hadn't been too hard. She'd never left her den unless he asked her to do so. She'd been much too weak and obedient to go out looking for trouble. At least at first. But the return of the Core-Four had shaken up their little world. During those events she'd gotten stronger, as Harry had wanted, but in that strength she'd found the courage to leave him. Not quite entirely, as she still held his mark, but in her own little way.

Harry drew in a breath, his index finger tracing the pattern on her chest. He knew he shouldn't have been so quick to claim her, especially considering everything they'd gone through together. They'd killed together, and that had been the evillest act of all, but he should have kept a close watch on her after that. He should have known that by doing such a thing her little head would get all tangled again. But he'd left her on her own, and she'd gone to Auradon without him.

"If ye can hear me, princess, I need ye ta listen good." He whispered into her ear. "I won' ever say this again. But I'm sorry, lass. That I couldn' keep ye as safe as I thought I could. That I didn' take better care of ye. I'll try an' do better when ye wake up, love. I swear ta ye, Queenie, I won' let them hurt ye again."

The first-mate moved back into his chair, resuming the position he'd been in before. He felt somewhat relieved to get all of that off his chest, and knowing that she probably hadn't heard him made it all the more easier. It didn't matter if she didn't know, he did. And he meant it.

Harry picked up the book he'd dropped and decided to give it one more go-through. He had nothing else to do but sit and wait so, until that ended, he had to keep his mind occupied.

After some mindless scanning Harry eventually moved on from where he'd left off, and he found himself on a rather interesting page.

'Captain Hook and Peter Pan'.

Harry smiled and looked it over, his eyes now picking up on something in the corner of the page that none of the others had. A small bend at the corner that refused to be put back in place when he tried, having been folded down one-too-many times.

He came to conclusion rather quickly. Queenie had been reading this, and from the fact that it had a neat little dog-ear at the top of the page and none of the others did, she must have read it more than once.

"Oh princess, ye still surprise me."

~...~...~

 _Queenie gagged and dry-heaved, her body bent awkwardly between her legs as she took in long, wheezing breaths. She wanted to be sick. She could feel the liquid coming up through her stomach and into her throat and yet she couldn't do it. Maybe it was because she was inside of her own head. But her uneasy feeling and nervy tummy wasn't because of anything she'd done herself, but because of what she now knew she was capable of doing._

 _What her on-screen self was in the midst of._

 _The young princess had seen quite a lot since Harry's 'hooking' had been shown, but nothing like this. She'd felt the chill of the ocean-air on her skin and the sickly-salty smell that always accompanied it. She'd felt her boots thudding against the wooden floor of the ship as she followed Harry into the cells, and she had even felt the warmth of his hand against hers._

 _But this was nothing compared to that._

 _The gurgle her mothers guard made as she tore through his throat was unbearable. His eyes, wide and filled with nothing more than pure fear staring up at her. The strong metallic scent that filled her nostrils as his blood poured out of the wound and down his neck and chest would always stay with her. His weak pleads before she'd willingly cut into his jugular would forever echo in the darkest parts of her mind._

 _Despite it all, the sight of herself ripping into an unarmed man wasn't the worst of it. Oh no, what Queenie found most horrific was how she felt doing it._

 _Absolute relief. And not the normal kind either, like all the times she'd finished her homework and was happy to be left to do whatever she wished. This had been utterly overwhelming. As if she'd carried around an enormous weight upon her shoulders and ending this mans life had taken all of it away. At first she'd been at least a little anxious, but Harry's proximity and low hums in her ear in that particular moment had taken all of it away._

 _When she finally composed herself, Queenie mustered enough strength to look up at the screen. It wasn't necessary, since the entire thing would play itself out in her mind no matter what, somehow seeing it from another point of view was easier. At least this way, even if it was for a small minute, she could trick herself into thinking that she hadn't done it, that it wasn't her doing any of it._

 _'How do ye feel, love?' Harry had asked her, his form moving away from behind her to look down at the dead man._

 _"Brace yourself." The other girl muttered with warning._

 _'I-I feel,' The on-screen version of herself paused to take a moment, her eyes roaming the mans face as she searched her thoughts and feelings. 'Amazing.' Was what she finally said._

 _Queenie gasped breathlessly as a sudden surge of absolute elation flashed through her form like lightening. A flush of warmth erupted in her cheeks and neck, an odd and tingling sensation starting in her stomach._

 _She wanted to feel terrible, to feel something other than happiness at the realisation that she'd taken a life, but she didn't. And what was worse was that she'd felt this once before, and not on the Isle._

 _After tormenting Thalia with pixie dust, this is what the outcome had been. Excitement, a strange and sudden rush of feeling like nothing could bring her down, and adoration for the boy she'd done it all with. Back then it hadn't been anything huge, she'd thought of it as a way of soothing her odd temper, but now she knew that it was more than that._

 _Queenie watched the TV through half-lidded eyes, the strange pleasure that came with easing her anger still there, and still just as powerful. She watched as Harry quickly embraced her, his hands gripping her thighs as he lifted her into the air. Her chest fluttered as her on-screen self stared down and into his eyes, her forehead against his as her legs wrapped around his waist. Her right hand was stained red, her small fingers still tightly holding onto Harry's hook as her arm wound itself around his neck. Her left hand, however, was lightly stroking his cheek, a small and dazed smile on her lips as she nuzzled his nose._

 _'Oh, I wish ye could see how amazin' ye look right now, princess.' Harry had said with a whisper, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. The look in his eyes was one Queenie had seen a handful of times on the outside, and her growing eagerness for something she couldn't quite place left her wondering just where this horrific event was going._

 _'Harry.' Her on-screen self muttered with a purr, and Queenie drummed her fingers against the couch. She had no idea what was going on with her in that moment, maybe she hadn't even known what it was back then either. But there was an urge there to get as close to Harry as possible, like how they were that night just wasn't enough._

 _Harry had chuckled and slid a hand up her spine, his fingers wrapping around the ends of her hair and tugging back. 'I know, love.' He'd said. 'But not tonight, I have ta do somethin' with this lad first, then I'm all yers.'_

 _'You promise.' She'd whined with a small pout._

 _'I promise, Queenie. Go home, lass, get yerself cleaned up an' get some sleep, 'kay? I'll come for ye tomorrow, love.'_

 _Their 'tomorrow' never did come. It had already played itself out and Queenie had been forced to go through it. Her head had been torn in two, her overwhelming devotion towards Harry clashing with the disgust and horrific reality she had to face on what she'd done that night. After leaving him on the ship she'd gone back to her den, cleaned herself up, and lost her mind in the midst of it. Her head had thundered with an unbearable ache and her entire being was shoved through an agonizing type of sensation when she reached for the drawer in a nearby nightstand._

 _That night that seemed to have happened so many years ago, she'd messily scribbled down one word on the perfectly written Auradon letter of request. 'Yes'. And in a poof of smoke it had disappeared from her hands, the letters somehow formed from a magic stronger than the one keeping the barrier in place. But her acceptance had been seen, and Jay had come to get her the very next morning._

 _"And now you know." The other girl said loudly, leaning forward to switch off the TV that'd turned to static once more._

 _"B-but I didn't fix anything." Queenie stuttered with disbelief, her body slowly coming down from the high cloud she'd been on. "I don't feel any better. I did that." She waved a frantic and shaking hand towards the TV. "How could I do something so evil?" She sobbed, her hands clutching at her hair._

 _"We're not evil." The other girl said adamantly, shifting to further face Queenie on the couch. "We thought that getting rid of everything would fix things, but it didn't. We can't be fixed because we don't need fixing."_

 _"How can you say that?!" Queenie shouted. "We killed someone. And what we did to Thalia wasn't good, or kind or anything Auradon stands for. We belong on the Isle."_

 _The other girl pursed her lips and jumped forward, taking a tight hold of Queenie's forearms. "We don't belong on the Isle. We're a good person. Everything we've done for our friends for the sake of keeping them happy proves as much. All of those times we stayed with Harry and let him vent wasn't for us. And all the guilt we felt at going against Jay in some way or another doesn't quite seem evil to me." She said firmly._

 _"What we did-"_

 _"What we did was survive. That guy deserved to be killed for what he did to us. Thalia deserved what happened because of what she did to Ava. We are survivors and if you don't get that into that thick skull then we're going to be right back where we started. We are loyal to a fault. We're good, but god help anyone that tries to hurt our friends, or us. Don't fight against me, use me. Two sides of the same coin, remember?" The other girl re-capped._

 _'Like a coin, ye toss it an' ye never know what ye're gonna get.'_

 _Harry's words rang loud and true in Queenie's ear, and once again she let her mind run free._

 _Everything she'd gone through on the Isle and everything she'd done after having her mind tampered with came together into one large ball of chaos and confusion. She wasn't evil. She was kind and thoughtful and loved to make her friends smile. But she wasn't good either. Her slumbering anger often woke at the slightest of things and she was more than capable of hurting someone and having absolutely no regrets. She was Isle and Auradon. Good and bad. Two sides of the same coin._

 _"I'm not evil." Queenie muttered to herself, doing the same over and over again until she could firmly root it within her mind._

 _"We're not evil." The other girl corrected with assurance._

 _"But that's bad. If we're both, then where do we fit?" Queenie wondered with obvious puzzlement, a new worry burrowing itself into her already messed up head._

 _"We fit where we want to fit." The other girl stated with a beaming smile. "We go where we want and we do what we want. We're from Wonderland; The world of the upside down. We are stronger than any Auradon-Born or Isle-Born because we get to be both. We have Wonderland magic in our blood and only we get to decide what we do with it. No one else. Not even Harry."_

 _"Harry," Queenie sighed wistfully, her heart strings tugging at the mere mention of his name. She'd felt bad for him before for coming to Auradon for a princess that didn't remember him but now it had doubled. How could she have forgotten him?_

 _"You didn't forget." The other girl shrugged. "You remembered, that first moment when you saw him. How scared we were. How excited he made us. We would never forget Harry."_

 _"But we're not like him. We're not what he wanted."_

 _The other girl laughed. "Do you think he cares? He likes that we're different. He doesn't give a shit that we're good and bad. He just wants us. We're his, and he's ours."_

 _"We love him, don't we?" Queenie wondered, though even she knew the answer._

 _"Of course we do. And he loves us too. In his own fucked up way."_

 _The young princess nodded and took in a large, soothing breath. She'd finally done it. She had her memories back, and she hadn't gone completely insane doing it. And the best of all was the clarity. All this time she'd been dragging around a heavy weight, unsure of where she belonged. But now she knew. She could belong in Auradon if she wanted, or she could go back to the Isle, and she could happily survive in either. Being both would always confuse her, but she had someone on the outside that she could turn to if it got to her too much._

 _"Our aunt." The other girl noted._

 _"Yup. We haven't met her yet." Queenie told her._

 _"We should."_

 _"We will."_

 _The other girl giggled and gave a small nod. "Are you ready to let me in now?" She inquired with a raised brow._

 _"I'm ready." Queenie said clearly and without hesitation. She'd endured everything up until this point, and she wasn't about to go back now._

 _"Good. Now breathe."_

 _Without another wasted minute, the other girl took Queenie's cheeks in both hands and connected their mouths. It wasn't a kiss, it was a merge. The Isle joining the Auradon and the bad joining the good in a collision of green light._

 _Queenie felt the air being sucked away from her, a strangely delightful force moving through her mouth and into her throat, an odd pressure entering her mind._

 _'We're going home.'_

~...~...~

Ava twirled the ends of her hair and stared through the window, her jittering nerves causing her legs to start bouncing. She could see the students sat at the benches talking aimlessly, and members of the Auradon fencing team battling outside of the practice area in an attempt to show off for the cheerleaders. They were all so happy and content in their little bubbles, so unaware of what was really going on.

And it was immensely irritating.

The little mermaid rolled her eyes at their antics, wondering how they could all go about life as normal when there were much darker things going on in their school. But maybe on some level they did know, and maybe they were all just ignoring it.

 _'Ignorance is bliss.'_ Ava thought to herself, a grimace crossing her face. She hated how bitter she'd somehow become over the last days, how annoyed she was that no one besides herself, Jay, and the pirates knew about the truth in Auradon. It wasn't the peaceful and joyful place she'd once thought of it as, and that dampened her mood somewhat.

It had been three days now since Queenie had been brought back, and Ava was hopeful that this would finally be the day her friend came back to life. It was also part of the reason she'd vouched to stay with her. She wanted Queenie to wake up to someone familiar and safe. Harry was no threat to the princess, of course, but he'd been going absolutely mad in the silent room and everyone could tell. So Ava had relieved him of some stress and offered to stay until he was satisfied he'd had enough freedom for one day.

Truthfully, Harry scared the daylights out of her. His towering frame and overly-hardened eyes was something she wasn't quite used to, but she had to make herself adjust to it. He was important to Queenie and just as, if not more, important to Uma. If he was going to be a constant in their lives then Ava had to somehow get to know him.

An act easier said than done, she now knew. He wasn't as short with her as he was with everyone else but that intensity was still there. That lingering threat of danger whenever he lurked around suffocating her until she was increasingly uncomfortable. And the ridiculous thing of it all was that he hadn't even said anything worth worrying about. A few snarky comments and sly looks was all she'd really gotten from him, so she'd had to put it down to the aura he gave off since arriving. His demeanour often gave off a mix of 'stay-the-hell-away' but that smirk constantly plastered across his face could convince someone otherwise. Uma held a vibe quite like his, especially to outsiders, and it really threw Ava. After all, she'd grown up around the kind smiles and warm gestures of the Auradon-Born, so the dark allure the pirates carried around with them like a weapon was overly new to her.

 _'Although,'_ she thought with a faraway gaze in her eye. They really did carry it well.

A loud and wheezing intake of breath rang out in the deathly silent room, and pulled Ava out of her sinful thoughts.

It took her a moment to fully comprehend just what she was seeing, and she blinked her eyes furiously as she jumped to her feet.

Queenie was awake.

* * *

 **AN**

 **Hi readers! Just me again.**

 **First of all, I'm so, so, so sorry for the cliff-hanger...again. I don't mean to do it but it just keeps happening and I can't stress how sorry I am that it does. But this is the last one...for now anyway.**

 **Anyway! Queenie's awake! Also, I wanted there to be some more points of view from Jay and Harry. I've been staying away from their characters a little bit but honestly I think we needed to see some more of those two, and I hope you guys enjoyed it. Also, Ava's starting to come down from cloud-nine, and there's more in store for her so I hope you guys stick around for that.**

 **Right, review acknowledgement time;**

 **Jon Snow Warrior Queen;** **I know. I'm so sorry. I did it again! No more for a while I swear.**

 **PinkTribeChick;** **Yeah, we all wish Harry would man up and admit how he feels for Queenie. But think of it this way, this is a guy who looks down on weaknesses and thinks very highly of himself. So, of course he isn't going to admit how he feels about her. Not out-loud anyway. But I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **labyrinthlover;** **Me too! :)**

 **Sanura Bey;** **I know. I'm overdoing it with the cliff-hangers but I just can't help it.**

 **Anyway, that's all from me for now. Much love to everyone who've reviewed, favourited and followed. You guys are amazing!**

 **Also, I wanted to run an idea by you guys. I've had this idea mulling around in my head for a while so I wanted an opinion. An AU of sorts, probably a one-shot, on how Harry and Queenie would have met if Jay had actually come back to get her the first time. Let me know what you'd think of something like that.**

 **Okay, so, please leave a review or PM to let me know what you think of this chapter. Thanks!**

 **Any typos will be removed once I've properly read through.**


	15. Chapter 15

For the first few minutes, Queenie didn't move a muscle. She stared up at the blurry ceiling, her eyes repeatedly blinking into focus until she could safely make a decision on exactly where she was. She took in long and deep breaths of reassurance and relief, her hazel eyes finally finding familiarity in the white canopy attached to the ceiling, the silk surrounding the bed she was laying in.

She was back in her dorm room.

Queenie chewed her bottom lip, hesitant to turn her head. She worried that if she did she'd see her Isle-self once more, and be harshly reminded that she was still inside her mind, watching her forgotten memories play on an endless and vicious loop.

When no sound came, Queenie finally found the courage to turn her head to the side. She instantly took note of the rest of her room, the bedside tables and desk just across the way, books and other random objects scattered across. Everything was exactly as she'd left it before jumping out of the bedroom window with Harry, however long ago it'd been.

The Princess of Hearts slowly shuffled around and leaned on her forearms, a small hiss flying through her lips as her head ached. A familiar pounding that usually came with F.G.'s mind-wipe.

 _'Oh no.'_ Queenie thought. Her eyes widened and she moved up further, her back and limbs sorely protesting as she did so. She hastily moved through her thoughts, her shoulders slumping with utter relief as she found she remembered every single thing she'd been shown while asleep. She hadn't been wiped again and that confirmation alone was a welcomed moment. She could only assume that the radiating pain in her head was due to the memories having been restored, and she hoped that a few pills would send it away as fast as it had come.

When she eventually manoeuvred around in her bed, the muscles in her back soothing into somewhat of a dull pain, she looked around her room. She frowned, her eyes falling to stare at her hands.

She was all alone.

The moments leading up to her awakening she'd at least hoped that one of her friends would be waiting, patiently sitting at the chair beside her bed and there to console her when she came around. So to find herself alone in the room...well, it was hardly a joyful reunion.

Queenie flinched as a small and damp drop landed on the back of her hand. She looked down with furrowed brows, her head tilting upwards to seek out a wet spot in the ceiling. But she found nothing.

Another drop came, and then another, and in a manner of seconds Queenie quickly sussed out where the water was coming from.

She was crying, salty tears streaming down her cheeks and neck, some trailing further and landing on her fidgeting hands. She couldn't quite understand the reason behind it. Her waking should have been a happy moment, not a sad one, but when she dug deeper into her emotions and thoughts she found herself in an over-emotional state.

Queenie found her tears were entirely justified. She focussed more on what she felt rather than what she thought and, when she did so, the floodgates swiftly opened. She was everything at once, it seemed. Happy that she'd gotten back what had been taken from her, and had finally woken up. Relieved to find that Harry's quick-thought on pushing her into the Enchanted Lake had given her a happy ending. And she couldn't ignore the satisfaction of her head being at rest now that her two, separated minds had come together into one once more.

But with the good, came the bad. She was absolutely saddened at the fact she was alone in her room, her anxiety niggling away in the back of her mind and spreading its vicious words. Her heart ached at the thought that no one had been to see her or even to check and see if she was alright. But the worst of all was what came to mind when she thought back on her time with Harry.

Queenie sobbed into her hands, a small wail escaping through the gaps as she let out every emotion she'd been deprived of.

A small creak echoed through the otherwise silent bedroom and Queenie paused, raising her head while she lowered her hands, her eyes flying towards the door.

"W-who're you?" She wondered with obvious confusion, her gaze zeroing in on the Auradon guard that had entered her room.

The man gave her no reply. His eyes widened with visible surprise and his body turned, his voice inaudible to Queenie's straining ears as he whispered and muttered to someone on the other side of her door.

Queenie pursed her lips and wiped her face with the blanket, sniffling as she attempted to put herself together and demand some answers from this stranger.

"Excuse me," she attempted, pushing back her curls with her hand as she moved the blankets from her legs. "Who are you?" She asked again, her tone firmer this time.

The guard soon moved through the doorway and into her room. He closed the door behind him and stood tall and still, blocking her main means of leaving the room. He remained silent, and this only fuelled her temper.

"Who are you?!" She yelled suddenly, her palms coming down onto the mattress with a hard 'thump'.

"I apologise, miss, but we have to wait." He finally spoke, albeit with slight hesitation.

"Wait?" Queenie asked curiously, her anger dimming and giving way to utter bewilderment. "For who?" She pressed.

"Fairy Godmother."

~...~...~

The red-head ran as fast as she could through the main entrance and out into the courtyard, breathlessly muttering words of comfort to herself as she whizzed by baffled students.

She had to find Harry; And she had to do it fast.

The little mermaid hadn't been too sure on what she should do when Queenie, unexpectedly, woke. For a small moment she'd greatly considered staying, the warmth she felt at seeing her friend up and about a little hard to ignore. But when she thought more about the situation at hand, she knew she had to go and find the pirates. She knew full well that, when the guards caught on that Queenie was awake, they'd go straight to F.G., thus lessening any chance the Princess of Hearts had of seeing the first-mate again. So while it pained her to do such a thing, Ava had quickly turned on her heels and left the dorm room, hoping that her legs wouldn't fail her.

Already Ava had searched her own dorm room for Uma, along with Harry's pig-sty, but had found nothing. She barely knew the pirate on a personal level and had absolutely no idea where he'd have wandered to during his 'break'. She could only try and locate Uma and profusely pray that he was with her.

Ava stopped in the middle of the path, taking this moment to catch some of her breath as she searched outside of the school.

"Gil!" She screamed out at the top of her lungs, catching numerous odd glances from a few surrounding students. She saw them, but she didn't quite care.

"Hi Ava." The son of Gaston greeted enthusiastically, waving a hand in her direction.

"I-I need...to find...uh, Harry." Ava wheezed, waving her hands in the air as she tried to form a coherent sentence and, at the same time, regulate her breathing.

"Oh, he's down at the pier with Uma." Gil explained nonchalantly, seemingly oblivious to the little mermaid's exhausted state.

"Thank you." The red-head whined with great appreciation.

"Anytime." The boy shrugged in response, carrying on to wherever he'd been headed before she stopped him.

Ava drew in another large and deep breath, her legs aching in protest as she began to move once more.

Soon enough she arrived at the edge of the grounds and the beginning of the wooden pier. Her body sagged with relief at the sight of Harry at the end, overlooking the water where she assumed Uma was.

"Harry!" Ava called out, her voice straining as she rushed towards the first-mate.

"Ava." Harry drawled as he turned on his heels to face her.

"Where...the heck...have you b-been?" She demanded with as much irritation as she could muster. She bent over and placed her hands on her knees, huffing audibly as she, once again, tried to control her breathing.

"I've been right 'ere, love." He said with a shrug.

"I've been running around all over the place, looking for you." Ava informed him, her neck craning awkwardly as she tried to look at his face. It didn't quite help that the sun was streaming down into her line of vision, along with Harry's ridiculously tall height.

"Aw, ye've been lookin' for me?" Harry taunted in a sing-song voice, leaning down to look her in the eyes. "I'm flattered, love."

The little mermaid narrowed her gaze, her annoyance growing along with the aches and pains. "Are you always such a douche?" She wondered.

"Ye know, I'm startin' ta see why Uma likes ye so much." Harry said with a nod. "Ye're quite feisty, aren't ye?"

"Leave her alone, Harry."

At the sound of his Captains voice the first-mate backed away, his hands in the air in a 'white-flag' motion.

"I was jus' havin' some fun." He told Uma.

"What's up, Ava?" Uma greeted.

Ava groaned and stood to her full height. She turned to face the two pirates, her hands on her hips. "Queenie's awake."

~...~...~

Queenie frowned and tilted her head, her eyes cautiously keeping a close watch on the headmistress pacing at the foot of the bed. She knew full well that the Fairy wouldn't use the guards at her disposal to force Queenie into anything, but the young princess couldn't be too careful. She'd already taken quick note of the main escape routes. The door was securely blocked, but the window behind her was a quick escape should it come down to that, and Queenie was more than willing to go in that direction.

The Princess of Hearts had only been awake for fifteen minutes and already the headmistress was trying to sweet-talk her way back into the girls head. Queenie had been on high-alert as the Fairy entered her room and that hadn't dwindled one bit, if anything it'd grown stronger. Fairy Godmothers faux concern and sickly-soothing voice had absolutely no power over her anymore, and Queenie was adamant on her decision.

But Fairy Godmother wasn't too pleased about that.

"Queenie, please." The headmistress pleaded, clasping her hands in front of her. "I just want to make sure everything's alright, dear."

"What is it with you people?" Queenie laughed with both amusement and slight aggravation. "You can't take no for an answer, can you?" She added, her lips tugging up into a satisfied smirk as the Fairy bounced on her feet.

Queenie hadn't been quite so sure why she immediately jumped to defence when the Fairy finally made her appearance, all she could say with certainty was that her previously buried anger had clawed its way to the surface, and her mind had filled with memories of just what the Fairy had done and had continued doing during her stay in Auradon.

Therefore, she felt her animosity was somewhat acceptable.

"They're just trying to help." King Ben spoke up, and Queenie rolled her eyes. She still wasn't too sure why he was brought to this 'meeting', but a fleeting reminder to herself that he was the one running the Kingdom spoke for itself.

"And you?" The princess inquired with a raised brow, turning her head in his direction, though her eyes often flickered towards the anxious Fairy.

"I really wanna help you, Queenie." He said firmly.

Queenie straightened her head and pouted. "Aw, you wanna help me?" She taunted.

"I do."

"Really?" She asked, the smile dripping away from her face the longer she stared at him. "Where were you when they took my memories away? Oh! That's right, you were there. You're just as bad as Jay. You watched it happen and let me run around thinking everything was fine."

Ben sighed and glanced down towards the carpeted floor, clearly disheartened by the princesses words. "You're right." He eventually said.

Queenie pursed her lips and watched as the boy-King made his way towards her. She could see, from the corner of her eye, Fairy Godmother shift her stance and the two guards behind her take a minor step forward.

"I watched F.G. take your memories away and I did nothing. I didn't know about it and I didn't know that there was another council making moves behind my back. This is _my_ Kingdom," his eyes pointedly looked towards F.G., who turned her head away with shame. "I should have made them give your memories back to you and I didn't. And I am so sorry for that, Queenie. I brought the transfers here and I vowed to protect them just like I do with the Auradon-Born, but I failed. I promise you, Queenie, that I am sorry."

It was a pretty speech, that she had to admit, and Queenie truly wanted to believe that he was sorry for what had happened. But she'd been fooled before. And it didn't really matter that Ben seemed so sincere in his apology towards her. She'd felt the awful sting of betrayal one-too-many times and she couldn't risk it again.

"Do you love Mal, Ben?" Queenie asked.

The King's eyes widened slightly at the random question, but he answered none the less. "Of course I do."

"I don't mean puppy-love, either." The princess pressed, her eyes rolling back as she thought. "I'm talking about the hard stuff. How you feel so happy and nervous when they're around. How empty it gets when they're not. That annoying voice in the back of your head pushing you to go and find them and see what they're doing when you're not with them. And that ache you get in your chest when you think something's wrong with them. I'm talking about that kind."

Queenie scrutinized the boy-King as he looked down at her, his eyes looking into her own and making it seem like he was seeing her, when he really wasn't. Ben was off in some kind of thought but he was taking in every little word she'd said with enthusiasm and a part of her was grateful for that. He wasn't just nodding and 'humming' to acknowledge her words. He was really listening.

"I love her more than anything." He stated, his tone unwavering as he attempted to convey his emotions to the princess.

"Good, that's good." Queenie gently muttered. "Now here's the big question. What would _you_ do if, by random turn of events, you had your mind wiped of everything about Mal. If someone took her away from you in the cruellest way possible and made you think you were happy. You spend hours looking out at the ocean wondering why you can't sleep at night. You walk around like normal and you act like normal but, in the back of your head, you constantly feel like something's missing.

"Then when you convince yourself you're just going crazy, she shows up. You don't know her and she acts like she doesn't know you, but all those feelings of being in love come back and hit you like a brick. You know you recognize this girl, you feel it, but you don't know why. So you avoid them, tell yourself that you're being an idiot because there's no way you would feel so strong for someone you don't know."

"I don't think this is appropriate." Fairy Godmother attempted to interrupt.

"And then," Queenie continued. She held up a finger towards the headmistress and ignored the gasp of offence she received as a response. "You find out that you actually _did_ know this girl. You two were closer than anything and she didn't tell you about it because she was trying to keep you safe. What would you do?"

The princess couldn't quite determine what was going on with the boy-King once she'd finished her lengthy statement. His eyes flickered about her face, his nose occasionally twitching while his lips moved downwards into a frown. He'd imagined all of it, and she hoped that by the time she was done he understood just a little bit more on why she was so reluctant to receive their help.

"I'd tear the Kingdom apart." Ben soon admitted, though it obviously pained him to do so.

"Yup. Now let's also say that, when you remember everything about this girl, the person that took her away wants to go back into your head again. Would you let them?" Queenie wondered with mock-eagerness, as though she were really waiting to hear his answer. She already knew it, she just had to hear him say it.

"No." He sighed, finally coming to the realisation of where Queenie was taking her explanation.

"Exactly." Queenie cheered. She then turned her head back to F.G.. "If your _King_ understands, then why can't you?" She jabbed.

The young princess watched with raised brows as the headmistress repeatedly opened and closed her mouth, the older woman desperate to speak but unable to find the right words. Her fingers twitched and her eyes frantically searched the room as if an answer would somehow be painted across the walls. But they weren't, and Queenie was rather delighted to see the woman so agitated.

"I wanna see my friends." Queenie said to Ben.

The boy-King opened his mouth to reply, but was rudely and curtly cut off by another voice.

"Absolutely not!" Fairy Godmother objected with a loud and outraged cry.

"Why the hell not?!" Queenie yelled back. "After everything I've been through I'd say I deserve that at least."

"Young one," F.G. began, closing her eyes as she sucked in a soothing breath, a clear sign of the woman attempting to contain her own emotions. "It's not safe for you to speak to them just yet." She said, her usual smile sliding right back into its place, though this time it seemed strained and forced.

"Why?" Queenie asked once more. "I can't see Ava, or Uma, or Harry-" she stopped in her sentence as the Fairy's form straightened, the headmistress unknowingly giving herself away without meaning to do so.

"It's not my friends you have a problem with." Queenie stated, slowly coming to the worrying realisation that it wasn't Uma or Ava the headmistress had an issue with. "You don't want me anywhere near Harry."

The Fairy said nothing on the matter, but she really didn't have to. Her obvious distaste towards the first-mate spoke louder than any words that could have passed through her lips, and though Queenie hated it her curiosity and confusion overrode that.

"Why can't I see Harry?" She inquired, lowering her most-used tone with the woman in an effort to receive some answers. It was clear that glares and snappy sentences wouldn't get her anywhere with the Fairy, but being at least somewhat decent could very well be her solution.

"I can't say." F.G. replied firmly, her wandering eyes finally coming back to Queenie.

Queenie gaped. "What do you mean? My memories are back, he's not a threat anymore." She swore, the fear of being kept away from Harry too much for her to be content with. Of all the people in Auradon she had to speak to he was first on her list, and she wasn't about to change it now.

Fairy Godmother sighed, and for a fleeting moment Queenie could have sworn she saw something akin to regret in the older woman's eyes. But it was gone just as fast as it had been seen.

"Please," Queenie begged, finally down to her last string of hope as she stared at the Fairy, her vision clouding as tears began to pool in the corners of her eyes. "Let me see him."

It wasn't her proudest moment, she was certain of that. Never had she planned on falling so low to have to beg the Fairy for something and yet here she was, doing just that. But she couldn't help herself. There was so much she had to say to him, so much they had to talk about and the very idea of being kept away from him any longer would send her down the path of insanity once more.

"We need to have a council meeting. One that determines your fate, and whether or not you can see Mr. Hook again." F.G. finally spoke.

"No."

Queenie looked up, astonished to find that the strong form of protest wasn't from herself.

It was Ben.

"No more secret council meetings behind my back. I'm not going to sit around and try and run a Kingdom when there are people doing it without me knowing. It ends now." He said sternly, his form turned to face Fairy Godmother completely. "I decide what goes on here in Auradon, your advice is welcome but you and who-knows how many others don't get to decide the fate of others anymore."

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence then, one Queenie wasn't too eager to break. They were all a little taken aback by the King's statement and how irritated and demanding he was in that particular moment.

Fairy Godmother stuttered and whispered incoherently for a moment, her mind filled with so much though she was unable to say anything against it. After all, he was her King, and his word was final.

"Of course, your highness." F.G. finally succumbed, her defeat and annoyance clear to all those in the room.

"Now leave." Ben demanded.

The young princess shifted back and against her headboard, her knees pulled to her chest. She watched the scene play itself out with utter intrigue, wondering if the Fairy would stay and put up a fight or turn and did as she was told.

"Of course." F.G. muttered. She turned around and moved towards the bedroom door, her form straight and her head held high as she clasped her hands together.

Queenie raised her brows and nodded to herself, impressed to see that despite the woman being told off in public, and by a teenager no less, she still continued to carry herself with confidence.

"May I say one thing, your highness?" Fairy Godmother requested, her hand gently grasping the door handle as she looked over her shoulder at the boy-King.

"Yes." Ben agreed, still holding onto the air of authority he'd somehow come into in a matter of minutes.

"Bringing them back together won't do any good for the Kingdom." She spoke freely, and Queenie instantly knew that 'them' was, in fact, herself and Harry.

"That's for me to decide, Fairy Godmother. Not you. And not anyone else. Thank you for your concern, but I've got it from here." Ben assured her with a stiff nod.

After hearing the boy-Kings words, F.G. finally exited the dorm room.

The bedroom fell into quietness once more and Queenie quickly realised just how tense she'd been when around the Fairy. The minute she'd gone through that door it felt as if she'd taken the princesses worries and anxiety along with her, leaving Queenie in a rather relaxed state considering their circumstances.

"So," Queenie sighed, regretfully being the first to speak and break the strange silence. "What _is_ your decision?" She asked warily, unable to conceal the quiver in her voice.

Ben tore his gaze away from the bedroom door, his eyes flying in her direction as if he'd just realised she'd been sat there all this time. He must have been thinking about something, but whatever it was had disappeared from his mind quickly.

"Do you know how my parents met?" Ben questioned, rather suddenly and abruptly, his brows furrowed as he stared at the princess.

"Uh...yes?" Queenie replied, the pitch of her voice raising towards the end. She couldn't deny that she was thrown at his inquiry but she wasn't about to question it just yet.

"They didn't tell me until I turned fourteen." He told her, smiling thoughtfully towards himself as he crossed his arms against his chest. "I always wondered why I wasn't allowed to ask as a kid, but I guess I understand it now."

Queenie nodded and awkwardly toyed with her pendant, still completely bewildered as to where he was going with this particular topic of conversation.

"When they first met my dad was this proud and spoilt prince, locked in some kind of punishment spell. And my mom was a free-spirit, I guess, I just know she didn't want what everyone else wanted. And that made her strange.

"He threw my grandfather in a dungeon and locked my mom in the castle, forcing her to spend the rest of her life with him." Ben stopped at that, a light chuckle escaping his lips. "I love them both, but I didn't get it. Hell! I still don't get it."

"W-what are you trying to say, Ben?" Queenie asked curiously.

"Do you love Harry, Queenie?"

The young princess froze. "I-I," she felt out of sorts discussing something so intimate with someone she barely knew and his question had truly stunned her.

"You asked me if I loved Mal, and I answered. So I'm asking you now; Do you love Harry?" He pressed.

Queenie felt a small smile tug at her lips as a long-forgotten memory resurfaced. "Did you know that you were the first person I ever heard say that?" She admitted.

"Back on the Isle when you came for Mal in the den, I was there. I heard you say to Mal that you loved her, and that was the very first time I'd ever heard that sentence. I asked Mal what it meant after you left and she told me you couldn't explain love, that you could only feel it."

"When I came to Auradon, after F.G. took everything away, I slowly started to realise what it was. Well, I got to know what your ideas of love were like. True loves kiss, happily ever after, and spells broken by handsome princes and forgiving and dedicated family members. And I thought that I would never feel something like that. After all, my mother was hardly a satisfactory role-model and I have no siblings or close relatives. And all the princes here are snobby, stuck-up douche bags trying to win over the best-behaved princess."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I have absolutely no idea what 'real' love feels like. There doesn't seem to be one kind. It's not all sunshine and rainbows. But when I think about everything that I did for Harry, everything I've felt when he's near me, I can't try and put it down as anything else." She finished her long explanation with a deep sigh, her mind and heart overwhelmingly at war when it came to the first-mate.

"I think you love him." Ben assumed with a small shrug.

"I know I do." Queenie corrected him as she shook her head, her fingers weaving through her curls to soothe out any knots. "But I don't know why." She stressed with frustration.

Ben nodded with understanding and moved forward, lowering himself beside Queenie on the bed. "I can't give you an answer, but I can give you some advice. Talk to him, Queenie. You don't understand what you're feeling and that's okay, but you have to let him know." He told her.

"I know." Queenie muttered.

A loud and thunderous knock erupted from the door, startling the teenagers in the room.

"Queenie! You in there?!"

The Princess of Hearts laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yes!" She yelled back.

The door swung open with a loud 'bang' and, in the span of a few seconds, Queenie felt herself forced down onto the bed, a small 'oomph' puffing out through her lips as she struggled to breathe.

"Ava." Queenie whispered, her lips forming a large smile as she embraced her friend.

"Are you okay?" The red-head asked with concern, pushing herself up onto her hands, her tresses forming a curtain around their faces.

"I'm fine." Queenie reassured, her tearful state returning at the sight of the little mermaid. "I'm so sorry." She squeaked.

Ava tilted her head down at the other girl. "What are you sorry about?!" She exclaimed with bewilderment.

The last time Queenie had truly spoken to and seen Ava, the little one had been wobbling back to her dorm room with Uma. It had been the day of Thalia's cruel and unnecessary prank, leaving the mermaid hanging on to the very edge of her life. And despite everything she'd been dealing with Queenie hadn't forgotten the talk she'd planned on having. She wanted to apologise to Ava for being so secretive and withdrawn in the days leading up to it. She should have spent more time with her or, at the very least, brought her into the loop about what was going on. Maybe if she'd done that, Ava wouldn't have wound up in the pool in the first place.

"I should have talked to you." Queenie explained. "I should have told you what was going on with me. You didn't deserve to be spelled like that."

"You're insane." The red-head giggled with amusement. "It wasn't about you. I didn't tell anyone, not even Uma. What happened was my fault, not yours. Okay?"

Queenie searched Ava's face and, once she was convinced the little one held no ill intentions towards her for what had happened, she nodded.

The sound of someone clearing their throat sent Ava up and off Queenie, the mermaid blushing with embarrassment as she twirled the ends of her hair around her fingers.

Queenie giggled and moved back up, turning towards the door.

"Hey there princess." The sea-witch greeted, her left side leaning against the doorway as she crossed her arms.

"Captain." Queenie returned.

Uma chuckled loudly and rolled her eyes. "So you do remember." She noted.

"Yup." The princess confirmed, raising to her feet. "Thank you. For helping me." She added. "I can't ever repay you for what you did."

"I did it for Harry. But," the VK groaned, coming further into the room, "I guess you weren't as bad as I thought you were." It was the closest Queenie would ever get to an acceptance by the Captain and she wasn't about to push her luck.

"You're not that bad either, I guess." She joked, still coming to terms with the sudden and strange friendship she held with her old boss now that her memories had come back.

"Anyway," Queenie breathed, her hazel eyes wandering over Uma's form, "where is he?"

The VK's smile fell into an annoyed frown, and Queenie licked her lips with slight anxiety.

"He panicked, Q'." Uma admitted with a huff.

"W-what do you mean he panicked?" Queenie asked, her mind taunted with repetitive and worrying thoughts. _'Did he leave me?'_ She silently thought, her palms sweating and chest tightening unbearably at the idea of him leaving her alone in Auradon.

"Queenie," Ava spoke up, lightly taking hold of the princesses hand. "We have to talk."

~...~...~

An hour later, after going through a rather lengthy discussion with Uma and Ava on what was going on with the first-mate, Queenie found herself wandering down the hallway and towards Harry's dorm room, attempting to soothe her manic mind as she walked.

The mermaid and sea-witch had put things as simple as they could, and still Queenie couldn't quite understand why Harry hadn't come straight to her. They'd explained that, at first, Harry had been delighted to know that she'd finally woken up. But it soon turned to distress and somewhat buried emotions. For whatever reason, Harry had told them he needed time to himself and had immediately retreated to his own dorm room, leaving his Captain behind in a state of utter confusion.

For the first time since she'd known him, Queenie had finally determined that Harry was simply scared. Whether it was the thought of her remembering everything he'd done and leaving him, or having to face her now that she was as strong as he'd wanted, she wasn't sure. But the princess had been told of his sulking during her sleep and she wasn't about to let it happen again.

After all, an unhappy Harry meant an unhappy Queenie. Whether she liked it or not, she had to make sure he was okay.

Queenie eventually came to the door and an unsettling rush of distress crashed down over her body. She and Harry had been constantly up-and-down during their relationship on the Isle and even afterwards. He could be nice to her, or as nice as someone like Harry could be, but he could also be horribly cruel. And the downside to her current predicament was that she had each and every memory of their arguments and fights in her mind as clear as day, constant reminders of just who she was dealing with when she finally stepped over that threshold.

 _'Although,'_ she thought with a raised brow. She'd taken every hit and nasty remark from him for the majority of her time on the Isle, and even in Auradon she'd survived his anger. So when she thought about it hard enough, and removed the lingering threat of him killing her from her head, she realised that there really wasn't anything left for him to do that he hadn't done already. Whatever he threw in her direction from this moment on was sure to be something she'd lived through beforehand, and that fleeting notion alone was enough to carry her through the door.

As she entered the quiet room, Queenie thought back on a very precise moment she'd had on the Isle. One where she'd had to come and calm Harry down after Uma had left. She'd soothed him then and maybe, if she played this right, she could do it again.

The princess closed the door behind her, keeping her back to the wall as she scoured the room for any sign of the pirate. She tried hard to ignore the sour and disgusting odour in the air, her main objective at this point to find Harry and break him out of whatever mood he'd somehow put himself in.

Queenie flinched and looked down as the toe of her shoe met an unknown object with a slight 'clank'. She cautiously bent low and grasped the bottle in her hand, saddened to find he'd fallen into the dark pit again.

"Tastes like shite ye know."

The brown-haired princess gasped and dropped the bottle in her hands, her gaze wide and fearful as she looked up. "Harry." She sighed, a hand placed to her chest in a half-hearted attempt to calm her racing heart.

The first-mate stood in the doorway leading from the bathroom to the bedroom, his back against the frame as his ankles crossed in front of him. His hands were void of any alcohol bottles and for that Queenie was grateful, if not slightly on-edge.

Back on the Isle he'd been such a grumpy drunk, always groaning in protest and insulting anyone who dared disrupt his 'funk'. But the good thing about it was that his talents were usually off when he'd had too much. His walk was dragged, his form slumped and his movements slow. He couldn't even look her in the eye if he took it too far and, back then, her best chance at a conversation was when he was under the influence and unable to strike her down when she said something wrong.

But now he was fully aware, his blue eyes zeroing in on her with unreadable emotion. If he really wanted to he could hurt her, and after everything she'd done she wouldn't be too surprised if he tried.

"Harry," Queenie started, her words faltering and her mind failing her as she fought to find the words to say. She'd even practiced a few sentences on her way over, but she'd somehow underestimated just what the sight of him might do to her.

"Ye left." He stated, and Queenie flushed. She should have known this was coming.

"I know." Was all she managed to reply. "I apologised for that."

Harry chuckled humourlessly, his legs uncrossing as he moved to his full height. "Oh I know, love. But that doesn' make it right now, does it?" He said.

"Fine, you wanna argue about mistakes we've both made?" Queenie challenged, unable suppress the irritation welling up inside of her small frame. "You tried to drown me. You manipulated me, and threatened me, and hit me. You hid my letters from Jay and the others. You took my mothers necklace, even after seeing how upset I was about losing it. Damn it, Harry, you 'hooked' me! And I let it all go."

The pirate listened to her rant with, what seemed to be, lack of enthusiasm. But Queenie knew better. Even when he seemed uninterested he could also be taking it all in, and she was sure he was doing so now.

"Are ye done, lass?" He asked impatiently.

Queenie rolled her eyes. "Yes." She seethed.

"Good." He drawled, slowly making his way around the bed and in her direction.

It was a strange thing, seeing Harry again now that she remembered everything about him. He was still the exact same person he had been when she'd gone under and yet he was somewhat different. But that may very well have been down to her own emotions. Before going to sleep she'd known nothing of him, only learning his personality and wicked ways when he decided to show it to her. Now, however, she could pick out each moment they'd had together back on the Isle. Some good and some bad; But all essential.

A cold and sharp point dug into the soft skin underneath her chin and forced her head up.

"Hello princess." Harry greeted with a breathless grin, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Hi Captain."

The hook disappeared from her skin and Queenie released a small yelp of surprise as her body surged forwards.

"Oh I've missed ye, love." He admitted with a whisper, his right arm holding her close.

Queenie hummed with content, her small fingers grasping at his shirt as she nestled further into him. She took a deep inhale and released, revelling in the way his scent and proximity alone calmed her frazzled nerves.

"Harry, we need to talk." The princess whispered, the hesitation in her voice making itself known to him.

"About what, lass?"

Queenie paused and decided to drink in this last, lingering moment. It felt so wonderful and so right to be so close to him but she knew she had to put some distance between them. She truly had no idea how he'd take this sensitive topic and, should Harry take a turn, she felt that some space between them would benefit her greatly.

She pulled away from Harry with more struggle than anyone would ever know, her eyes averted towards the floor as she wrapped her arms around her stomach.

"Princess?" Harry questioned, his brows furrowed with confusion and, if she looked hard enough, hurt.

"We have to talk about the Isle, Harry. About certain...things, you did." Queenie told him with as much conviction as she could muster, his presence overwhelmingly stifling and making it that much harder to do what she was about to.

When Harry failed to reply, Queenie had to raise her eyes to meet his, and what she found gave her anything but comfort.

At first she didn't see anything too worrying. He'd hunched himself over slightly in an effort to reach her short height, his arms dangling down at his sides as he kept a loose grip on his hook. He frowned, his nose wrinkling as his gaze roamed over her face and downwards, as if he was thinking long and hard about something or other.

But it changed drastically. In a few seconds Harry straightened his posture, his fingers tightening into a hard clasp on his hook, his other hand clenching into a fist. He raised his head and looked down his nose at her, his eyes narrowing into slits as he swallowed audibly.

He was putting up the walls.

"Oh?" He wondered, his tongue poking into the inside of his cheek. "What did ye wanna talk about then, princess?" His pointed emphasis on the word 'princess' made Queenie flinch.

"When I was in my head, I realised something." Queenie said, her throat catching as she looked up at him. "Whenever I did something you didn't like, I got hurt."

Harry smirked and raised his hooked hand, caressing her cheek with the cold metal. "I only hurt ye when ye did somethin' stupid, lass." He objected.

Queenie chewed her bottom lip, her eyes flickering to the side and catching a glimpse of the terrifying weapon. She knew what he was doing. His touch was calm and gentle but she knew better than anyone how dangerous it was, and him using it on her now was one of his many, many tactics into getting what he wanted. She'd once been on the receiving end of it in much darker times, and she could only assume that this action was him reminding her of that.

What Queenie did next was something she'd both admonish herself for later, and be rather proud of.

Her left hand moved with a speed she couldn't ever remember having before, her small digits gripping Harry's wrist and preventing further movement of his hook.

The princess gaped, her eyes widening with the realisation of what she'd done. Harry, meanwhile, lost his smug demeanour the minute she touched him. He looked down at her hand as if it was the most offensive thing one could ever do to him, his brows raising with slight surprise at her ballsy move.

"You hurt me because you liked it." Queenie stated, cautiously pushing the hand away from her face with slow movements.

"An' yer point is?" Harry sighed, moving his arm from her grasp.

She couldn't deny that she was grateful he wasn't hooking her at this point, and she knew pushing him further would increase that lingering threat, but she had to do this. She really had no other choice.

"When we were on the Isle you _owned_ me, Harry. I did everything you wanted and then some; No questions asked. You beat me down and pulled me up, hurt me and then healed me. Let me go just a little and then sucked me back in. You put me through hell, Harry." Queenie whimpered, still coming to terms with just how much he'd done to her.

"I helped ye didn' I?!" He demanded, his sneaky temper finally rearing its ugly head once again. "Ye would've died if I didn' bring ye with me. I didn' have ta take ye back to the ship but I did. I didn' have ta help ye, either, but I did. Everythin' I did was to make ye stronger, lass, so some bloody gratitude would be fuckin' amazin' right now."

Queenie shuffled on her feet, trying and failing to keep her own vexation at bay. "Didn't I show you enough of that on the Isle? You asked me questions no rational person would tell a stranger, and I answered each and every one. I took every hit and shitty comment from you and didn't say a damn thing back. I never went against you. I did everything I could to make you believe that I wouldn't walk away and you still wanted more. How can you stand there and ask for gratitude when that's all I've ever shown you?"

Harry ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the locks as he shook his head in her direction. He stayed silent, apparently unwilling to fight back at her with this.

 _'He knows I'm right.'_ Queenie thought. She had him stumped, he had no witty retort or words of objection this time because even he knew she was making a good point.

"Ye didn' wanna be mine though, did ye lass? When ye made the deal with Uma, ye left me, remember? An' ye did it in front of everyone on the damn crew." He said.

"But I still came back, didn't I?" Queenie was quick to fire back at him. "You trashed Uma's place and no one could calm you down, remember? And I still came in, knowing just how nasty you were, and I tried to calm you down." She could recount that specific memory perfectly. Hell, she wouldn't ever forget it. It was the first, and last, time he'd kissed her. The first time she'd kissed anyone.

"You said something that night," she said, her tone softer than it'd been before. "I didn't get it then but I get it now." She took a breath and took a few steps closer, goosebumps rising on her skin as numerous red-flags sprung in her mind.

"Princess," Harry admonished, his eyes alone warning her to stay away. His temper could be quite unpredictable at times and something even he couldn't control, and the risk of him hurting her now if she said something wrong was too large for either of them to ignore.

But she dismissed it anyway.

"You said that you could take this from me." Queenie continued speaking, determined to keep him focussed on her words now rather than what had been said between them before. She twisted the heart-shaped pendant between her fingers, trying hard to keep herself calm as his gaze flickered down to the red gem. "But you said you didn't need it because you had the real one."

"I thought I did." He muttered with a small huff, his un-hooked hand moving and his fingers ghosting the pendant around her neck.

"You do, Harry." She promised.

"W-what are ye tryin' ta tell me, love?"

"I'm trying to tell you that I..." Queenie couldn't help but stutter and trail off into a sigh of reluctance. The words were right there on the tip of her tongue, one more sound and he would know exactly how much power he had over her. But she couldn't say it.

 _'Was it this hard for Ben and Mal?'_ She inwardly wondered, though that idea was shattered the moment it came. Of course it hadn't been. Ben was a wonderful person, kind and sweet. Never would he use Mal's love for him against her if he thought it'd benefit him in some way. But this was Harry Hook, and Queenie knew him almost as well as she knew herself. If he thought her declaration could keep her with him then he'd certainly use it.

Thankfully, and for whatever reason, Harry decided to put her out of her misery and conflict.

"I know ye do, love." He said with a soothing tone, something so foreign on his part. He almost sounded sad about it.

"I shouldn't." Queenie pointed out, sniffling as she felt the familiar sting of her tears returning. "I should hate you, but I don't."

"I know I'm an asshole, princess, an' I know I was hard with ye on the Isle. I loved havin' control over ye, an' I know I'll always be the nasty bastard that claimed ye." He said, his hand sliding down from the pendant to touch her sternum.

"It wasn't your fault." Queenie said with a shaky breath, her hands keeping his where it was. "I asked you to do it."

"I know, I remember." He said thoughtfully.

"It belongs to you, you know." She informed him, looking down at the place where their hands rested. "I think I gave it to you the second you carried me out of that damned tunnel." She added.

Harry's lips twitched at the corners as he held back a smile. "Didn' ye know, love? Tale as old as time, that one. A pretty little girl fallin' for a ruthless bastard that refuses to let 'er go."

"I guess I'm just crazy, huh?" She said with a small giggle, her eyes wandering up his chest and to his face.

"Oh ye're off yer rocker, lass. But lucky for _you,_ so am I. I can handle crazy."

Queenie laughed then, amusement breaking through the cloud of sorrow and filling her with a warm, fuzzy feeling.

"You made me a promise when you found me." She said regrettably, a part of her loathing the fact that she had to tear apart their happiness once more. "You said that no one else would hurt me but you."

"Aye, I did." Harry confirmed, albeit with slight hesitation, his lips tugging downward into yet another frown.

"You kept to that promise, but I need you to make one last one for me. I need you, Harry Hook, to promise me that no one, _including_ you, will hurt me. If you give me this then I'll stay with you for as long as I can, but I can't stay with you if we're going to bounce back to how we were on the Isle. I'm stronger than that now, I don't need you to hurt me just to prove a point. I don't want to live without you, Harry, but if I have to stay away to keep myself sane then I will. Can you do that for me?"

The Princess of Hearts knew she was asking a lot of him. Harry was loyal and he had, as promised, kept her safe on the Isle from everyone who wished her harm. But the hardest person to keep her protected from would be himself. After all, Harry had been raised to install fear by whatever means necessary, that it was the only way to keep people in line and restrain them from straying. But Queenie knew he'd been doing that very thing since he'd arrived in Auradon. He hadn't hurt her once, physically anyway, since coming and a part of her knew he could stick to it. But if he didn't believe that himself then there was absolutely no hope for either of them.

Harry threw his hook onto the unmade bed and yanked her in closer, his fingers threading through her hair as his eyes locked onto her own. He was so torn in that moment, his determination to keep her with him fighting against his dominant personality and violent temper. He had only one answer to give her and yet he found it so hard to give her the right one.

"I can' help how I am, love, an' I don' think I can change too much of it." He admitted quietly.

"I'm not asking you to change for me." Queenie rushed into an explanation. "I don't care how you are with everyone else, they don't matter to me. Your decisions are your own and I would never take them away from you. All I'm asking is for you to stop lashing out at me when you're angry. I'm not a punching bag, Harry. You took everything out on me on the Isle and I wont go back to that again. You need to forgive me for leaving just as easily as I forgave you for everything else."

There it was; The main problem. Harry was a sucker for grudges and he could hold onto them harder than he held his hook, thoughts of revenge swirling around in his head until they formed a dangerous and unrelenting mix. And since she'd left that had been all he'd thought about, how she'd left him on the Isle to go to Auradon.

"You don't need to hold it against me. I was punished for what I did, we both know that. So please, please just let it go." She begged.

"I-I forgive ye, lass." He muttered, the feeling of saying something new slightly off-putting and uneasy to say. But he had to do it. If he didn't then he'd lose his princess, and he wasn't about to let that happen again.

"Thank you." Queenie said honestly. She knew how hard it must've been for him to say.

Harry took her by great surprise when he slowly but surely lowered himself to his knees, his chin resting against her stomach as he stared up at her.

"What the fuck are you doing?" She giggled nervously, her brows raised with complete bewilderment.

"Ye tell anyone I did this an' I'll kill ye." He swore, though the grin on his face dampened the threat somewhat. "I promise ye, Queenie, that I won' ever hurt ye again. An' I'll hook anyone that tries ta do the same."

The princess nearly choked on air at his declaration, his dramatic way of sealing their promise entirely unanticipated. She'd expected a half-assed reply of some kind but never had this come into her mind when she thought of him accepting, and it only muddled her mind once more and told her that Harry could still surprise her even now, after all this time.

"O-okay." She stuttered pathetically, still coming to terms with the fact that Harry was on his knees in front of her.

Harry chuckled at her response, taking in the sight of her absolutely stunned and catching her off guard.

Queenie squeaked as his arms locked around her thighs. He climbed up and onto his feet, taking her with him.

"Ye're stuck with me now, love." He told her, moving to lower her onto the bed.

The princess rolled her eyes, gnawing at her bottom lip as he slid between her legs and hovered over her body. She raised a hand and tangled it in his messy hair, her thumb lightly stroking his temple as she released a sigh of content.

"I guess you're stuck with me too."

* * *

 **AN**

 **Holy mother of god! I am so, so, so sorry that it's been so long since my last update. I was really struggling with this last chapter and how I wanted to go, but I guess this is the final draft. Not as good as it could have been I guess but I really wanted the reunion between Queenie and Harry to be, at least a little, realistic.**

 **I was honestly going to drag out the reunion but I thought I'd left it long enough, so here we are! And don't worry, Queenie will be having very thorough talks with both the council and others in the next chapter.**

 **Anyway, I should be the bearer of bad news and let you know that the next chapter will be the last. The main focus of this one has been Queenie getting her memories back, and now that she has I don't really feel the need to drag it out any longer. I do have a third fic planned but I want to know if you guys would be interested before I go into all of that.**

 **Anyway, time to acknowledge some reviews!**

 **PinkTribeChick;** **I hope you were happy with the conversation between Queenie and F.G. in this chapter. There wasn't enough said but I promise that will all be in the next one. And I'm glad you enjoyed Harry's POV, I find it hard to write him sometimes as he's a pretty tricky characters so it's nice to know that you like it. :)**

 **lolavegas; Thank you!**

 **Jon Snow Warrior Queen;** **I know, I've been really douchey with all these cliff-hangers but again...I can't help it. I hope you like this chapter though.**

 **Guest;** **I'm glad you enjoyed the small scenes from the Isle! And the merging of 'N.O.N' Queenie with 'S.O.S' was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, mainly because they were like two different characters I was trying to merge into one. I wanted her to still have that timid and kind nature, but with a bit of temperament added onto it, so I hope you enjoyed how she was in here. And you're right, Queenie really can be a powerful character but I think she needs to fully come to terms with how she is now before she can truly be the best version of herself.**

 **Guest;** **Yep!**

 **Nanirios10;** **I'm happy you like the story-line for Harry and Queenie, but it's not just about them anymore. I wanted to add in more characters and point-of-views on others to keep everything flowing, and it'll probably continue to be that way.**

 **Guest;** **I really hope you liked the reunion between Harry and Queenie in this chapter. I didn't want to overdo it and make it cheesy, because that's just not how these characters are; Harry especially. So I tried to stay as true to them as I could. As for Jay and F.G. and the others...well, that'll all be in the next chapter.**

 **Guest;** **I'm well thank you, and here is your update!**

 **Anyway, big thank you to all who have reviewed, favourited and followed. You guys are amazing and I wouldn't have been able to get this far without you, so much love to you all.**

 **Please Review or PM to let me know what you thought of this chapter. And any ideas for the third instalment are welcome. I really want to know if there's any POV's you'd like to see more of and things like that.**

 **All typo's will be removed once I've had a proper read through.**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN**

 **Hello to all of my wonderful readers! Just a quick AN to let you know that this is, in fact, the last chapter of 'Now or Never'. I would have ended it with my previous chapter, but I felt as if Queenie still had some loose ends to tie up and that will all be in this chapter.**

 **Anyway, I hope you like it! :)**

* * *

Queenie nibbled away at her bottom lip for what to have been the thousandth time, her left hand twiddling with her pendant as she fought to find a comfortable position in the wooden chair she sat in. She stared ahead at a blank space, a hundred different scenarios playing out in her mind as to how this meeting would go.

The princess flinched as a warmth settled over the back of her right hand and she turned her head swiftly, a small flush of embarrassment darkening her cheeks as she realised she'd been caught out.

"You don't have to be nervous you know." Ben assured her, a small and sympathetic smile tugging at his lips.

"I-I know." Queenie stuttered, her attempts at casualness and forced relaxation completely thrown away by the tone of her voice.

"They can't hurt you anymore Queenie, not with me here anyway. They're good people, I promise, but they made a bad decision with you and I just need you to know that." The King told her with the utmost sincerity.

"I know _you_ trust them, Ben. But I don't...I can't. You know them because you were raised here and I only know them as the people who, for some reason, decided that their word and judgement was more important than my own. _They_ are the reason I had my memories taken away, and until I know why I can't just assume they're going to be kind." She attempted to explain to him, hoping to make him realise that her reactions and overwhelming anxiety were justified, but not in a way that somehow offended him.

Much the princess's relief Ben nodded his head, a part of him understanding though they both knew he never fully would. After all, one couldn't completely understand the feelings of another unless they'd been through it themselves, and Ben had been fortunate enough to be raised in a loving and warm environment.

The King said nothing more on the matter, but continued to be a helping-hand in any way he could and for that Queenie was thankful.

It had been a full week now since she'd woken up from her sleep, and a full week since she'd had her 'talk' with Harry, and in some ways her life had become significantly better since. She hadn't endured any melt-downs, her relationships with her friends hadn't changed one bit despite the awkwardness that had grasped them all at first, and her first-mate had kept to his promise.

Everything was finally turning in her favour.

Dealing with her memories from the Isle, however, had become somewhat of a daily task. Nightmares often plagued her mind at night, tormenting her with all of the violence and hardships she'd faced back on the Island with some added twists. Sometimes she woke in the middle of the night, sweat pouring down her neck and soaking the collar of her pyjamas as she wrestled the blankets away from her legs. Queenie knew they may very well never go away, after all she'd been through more than most and still lived to tell the tale, so it was obvious that there would be a few down-sides to having her memories restored. But Queenie had her own safety-blanket of sorts when it came to those nights, a wonderful and protective being that was much scarier than anything her head could throw her way.

A door in the far end of the room creaked open, and Queenie lightly shook away her wandering thoughts. She peered curiously, her intrigue fading away into slight discomfort as her fingers, unbeknownst to her, tightened around Ben's.

"Good morning." Fairy Godmother greeted with a chipper voice, bouncing into the room as she eyed the two teenagers.

"Good morning, Fairy Godmother." Ben said kindly.

"Headmistress." Queenie returned stiffly.

The Fairy ignored the slight animosity aimed in her direction, her wide smile continuing to stay in place as she took the seat beside Ben.

"So, shall we summon the council?" Ben suggested, clapping his hands together.

"We have two members here in Auradon, and they should be arriving any moment now." F.G. informed him, smoothing down the non-existent wrinkles in her perfectly ironed clothing. A nervous habit, Queenie assumed.

The Princess of Hearts shimmied around in her seat once more, her hands moistening as she attempted to calm the tension in her already nervous mind. She'd been waiting for this very moment all week, had even demanded it the moment she'd left Harry's room. But her irritation and impatience then had been dismembered by a level-headed Ben, who reminded her that she had bigger things to worry about than facing the very council who'd decided to take her memories away. And though she'd fought against him then she knew now that he'd been right. She couldn't have charged into the room like a loose bull and demand answers from anyone, if she'd have done that then they'd have stuck to their opinion of her and how keeping her memories away had been the right choice. Her intentions weren't to cause harm to them, but to make them see that sometimes they could be wrong, that she was far from dangerous as long as they treated her fairly.

That was all she wanted. All she'd ever wanted. A fair trial to prove her worth and that she was more than the daughter of an insane and vicious Queen.

The familiar creak of the door being opened rang out once again, and both Queenie and Ben looked up to see who had entered the room.

"Dad?" Ben muttered, his body drooping as he took note of the two adults.

"Ben." The former King said in greeting, though it was hardly joyful.

Queenie couldn't deny that she was rather surprised to see the old rulers of Auradon come into the meeting, but she immediately found that the notion seemed to hit Ben the hardest. How could it not? He'd been outraged at the idea of elders taking control of matters behind his back, but to now find out that his parents had played a large part in that had to have been some kind of betrayal on their end. She didn't know much about being a leader, or how it felt to be the one overlooking an entire Kingdom, but she herself would have been rather annoyed at the concept.

The former King and Queen took their seats, the latter placing herself between Queenie and her husband.

"Uh, mom, dad, this is Queenie." Ben made the introductions, though his shock and hurt hadn't disappeared completely.

"Hello." Queenie said with a small wave, finding it easier to remain neutral with less familiar faces. She knew it would falter when the talking began and the questions became frequent, but for now she had to stay calm.

"Good morning." The King rasped, his eyes flickering towards his disheartened son.

"It's very nice to meet you, Queenie." Queen Belle added afterwards, her voice louder and a little more enthusiastic than her husband's had been.

"I assume you know why you're here." Ben sighed, quickly clearing his throat.

The former King and Queen shared a remorseful glance, their fingers lightly intertwining above the large table they all sat against.

"We're here to discuss what was done to Queenie." Ben's mother said gently.

"We are here for that, but I think we need the rest of the council present for what this meeting's really about." Ben announced, then turning his head to Fairy Godmother, who'd been oddly silent during the strained moment.

"Of course your highness." The Fairy said knowingly. She raised her wand with precise and practiced movements, lightly waving it through the air as a small mist of blue began to flow into the air.

"I should warn you about something." Ben leaned down to whisper into Queenie's ear.

The princess frowned and tilted her head in his direction. "What?" She inquired worriedly, his troubled tone too clear for her to just sit and ignore. It served only as a fuel to the anxious embers inside of her stomach.

"Jay said your aunt was on the council."

Queenie feigned interest as Fairy Godmother flicked her wand to a chair on the other side of the table, an outline of a short form coming in clearer with each passing second. It was only a red-haired boy.

"Yeah, so?" She pressed quietly.

Fairy Godmother moved her wand to the side, the icy-blue mist forming yet another outline. This one was a little taller than the boy, curvier than he was.

"They weren't just sisters, Queenie, they were-"

The Princess gasped loudly, her hands flying to cover her open mouth as she stared at the woman sat opposite of her. Queenie trembled, her heart beating erratically in her ears and drowning out Ben's continued sentence. She couldn't breathe and all too suddenly she felt a familiar bile in her throat, her face becoming incredibly pale.

 _'If you want to run around with the riff-raff, then you'll be treated like them.'_

Her mothers words rang loud in her head. She could still see her mothers blue orbs narrowing down onto her face, her skin tinting red as she made demands of her guards to do something no sane person would have ever done. Something no true mother would ever do.

"Twins." Queenie breathed the final word that Ben had said in his attempts to pre-warn her. He'd done so a little too late, because if Queenie had known that her mother had been a twin she never would have asked for this meeting. She had prepared herself for most things, but most definitely not this.

Her aunt was almost identical to her mom, but the noticeable differences were the only things that still had Queenie in her seat.

Despite how long it had been since she'd seen her mom, Queenie could still remember her as clear as day. How beautiful she was, her chocolate coloured ringlets trailing long and to her waist. Her perfectly unblemished skin, though she had gained a few wrinkles here and there during her lock-up on the Isle. Her eyes, more blue than the ocean surrounding Auradon and often putting Queenie's hazel orbs to shame. Her fondness for the darker things, colours of maroon and black and red decorating their 'castle'. But the one thing Queenie could recount the most was her mom's temper and impatience. How irritated she'd become if her guards didn't bring her whatever she'd asked for within a certain time-limit. How her light skin tinged with specks of red when she got too angry. How she'd throw and smash whatever object was closest to her if she didn't get her way. Queenie's mother had been quite indifferent during her upbringing, never eager to show if she was proud of her daughter, and always reminding her of their title and worth.

Queenie's aunt, however, leaned a little towards the lighter side than her mother. The face was exactly the same, though void of any wrinkles. The eyes also held the same blue. But where her mothers hair was dark, her aunt's was a brilliant golden shade. Her clothes were blindingly white, glittering in the light when she turned a certain way. But the first thing Queenie took notice of after her moment of terror was the red, heart-shaped gem worn around her aunt's neck, held there by a gleaming and silver chain.

The White Queen gaped, her eyes slowly drinking in Queenie's features. It seemed she was just as shocked as the princess herself, though she was at least a little more subtle about it.

"What is the meaning of this?!" The White Queen bellowed, ripping her gaze away from Queenie and turning her outrage to the former King.

"You were told of this meeting, your highness." Ben's father groaned, lightly rubbing at his temples.

"You did not tell me that my niece would be present." The woman accused. "She wasn't ready to see me."

Queenie swallowed, a small flutter of relief weaving its way into her heart. Her aunt wasn't angered by the sight of her, but more so by the fact that the princess wasn't prepared to see the double of her mother up close.

"Why are we even here?" The red-haired boy asked, his arms crossed behind his head as he shuffled down in his chair.

"Please try to seem a little bit more mature, Pan." Fairy Godmother admonished, grimacing as he lifted his feet up onto the table.

Queenie raised her brows, her eyes now utterly fixed on the boy she'd quickly brushed off only moments ago. This was the boy who'd tormented Harry's father in Neverland, the one who sent Captain Hook down the mouth of a crocodile before Ben's father brought him back and shipped him off to the Isle. Peter Pan was still young, it seemed, having decided to remain how he was while Captain Hook aged away into insanity on the Isle of the Lost.

She would have one hell of a story for Harry when all this was over and done with.

"Not so long ago you all made a very big decision regarding one of the students here at Auradon. You all thought it was best to take away her memories, and then stayed with that decision afterwards." Ben said clearly, all eyes on him as he spoke. "Well now she has them back, and she wants some answers. And I think she deserves them."

Eventually the spot-light fell onto Queenie, and the princess fidgeted in her seat at the sudden attention. She'd barely held any confidence before they'd arrived and now that they were actually here that confidence had dwindled significantly. She had so much to say to them but, for some reason, she couldn't quite find the right one.

"I-I guess I just want to know why." Queenie struggled. She felt a small weight on the palm of her hand, just underneath the table, and it helped her regain some of that long lost courage. "Why did you think that taking my memories away was the best option?" She asked, her fingers gently squeezing Ben's to convey her appreciation.

"You were so broken when you came to us, little one." Fairy Godmother was the first to speak. "You were in so much pain and your temper, when I saw it in your mind, was a terrifying thing. There was a great chance of you lashing out in Auradon, so I took it away."

"We're elders, Queenie." Ben's father was the next. "We're quite set in our ways and when Fairy Godmother told us of your...difficulty, on the Isle, we couldn't risk it here. We couldn't send you back there either, to do that would have been much too cruel. So we went with an alternative."

Queenie listened and nodded when she felt it was needed. Their explanations were well-thought and rather rational when she thought it about it but that still didn't justify what they'd done to her. They were always looking out for the Auradon-Born, it seemed. And she'd just been another transfer, a _dangerous_ transfer apparently, and they'd gone with what was safer for them rather than what was best for her.

"I was messed up because I thought I was turning into my mom." Queenie told them. "My temper scares me sometimes, but it's not as bad as you might think. When I killed that guard I thought I'd truly crossed the line, that I was truly evil.

"Good doesn't exist on the Isle. There aren't any random acts of kindness there. But I was good, and kind, despite everything I went through. And that was the one thing I wouldn't budge from. I could never willingly hurt someone without a reason because I'd been on the receiving end of it. I wanted to be evil sometimes, to do whatever the hell I wanted and not feel a thing but, as it turns out, I have a conscience.

"When I came here to Auradon, you shouldn't have wiped my mind. You should have told me that it was okay for good people to do bad things sometimes, that I wasn't a monster because I'd done that." She finalized, her hand moving up to play with her pendant.

"But Queenie this is Auradon." Ben's mother sighed, lightly shaking her head. "Taking another life is evil, no matter the circumstances. And we had no way of knowing if you would do it again."

Queenie gripped Ben's hand a little tighter, her vexation at the former Queen's words beginning to make itself known. "No offense, your highness, but all of you have done things that would put you on the Isle. But you were all spared that hell because you were 'good' people." She said boldly.

"What are you implying here, little girl?" Pan asked, his jaw clenching as he sat upright in his chair.

"If murder is evil no matter the circumstance," Queenie began, throwing the old Queen's words back with a little more fire. "Then you should be on the Isle, after all you did throw Captain Hook into the ocean, knowing full well the crocodile was hovering around. My best friend's father would be on the Isle for killing Ursula, the sea witch. Prince Phillip would be on the Isle as well, since he killed Maleficent. I'm pretty damn sure Mulan took a few guys down during her fighting days so that would count too.

"I'm getting a little ahead of myself here, but I think you guys only think it's murder when it's not one of you."

The table fell into an awkward and tense silence. No one spoke, but it was clear that Queenie had offended almost all of them with her long-winded rant. Not that she particularly cared, of course.

"I killed that man and I enjoyed it, I won't lie about that. But can any of _you_ sit here and tell me that when your enemies fell to their deaths you didn't feel the slightest bit of satisfaction?" She pressed even further. She wasn't even angry at them still, just a little irritated.

"But _you,_ " the princess said pointedly, staring directly at Ben's father. "You piss me off the most. Us Isle-Born are all teenagers now, but we were babies once. You sat here for a good few years and never once thought to help the innocent and unknowing children being abused, tormented and manipulated by their own parents. We weren't born evil, we were raised with it and it's all we've ever known. So whatever VK comes from the Isle demanding revenge for their own parent is completely on you."

"How dare you?!" The man yelled furiously, a large finger pointing in Queenie's direction.

"Adam please." Ben's mother whispered with a plead, her wide eyes staring into his own.

"You're mad because you know I'm right." Queenie said with a small shrug, bringing their attentions back to herself. "If you thought I was wrong you wouldn't have taken the bait. You all know that leaving children on the Isle was a selfish decision, or maybe you were dumb enough to think 'evil' was inherited through genes.

"I won't say any more about it. I've made my point. Besides, you guys created the saviour of the VK's," the princess patted Ben's shoulder gently, "without him we'd still be on the Isle. We'd still be suffering."

The old King still sat straight in his chair, silently inhaling deep and soothing breaths as his wife rubbed at his upper arm. The old Queen, meanwhile, smiled at her son with so much fondness and admiration that it almost made Queenie sick. Her own mother had never looked at her like that, not once.

"We understand that what we did was wrong, in some ways." Queen Belle said. "You should understand that the Villains on the Isle hurt many, many people here. They cursed and abused so many, and we were terrified. We also never thought they'd ever have children. They're selfish beings and to carry a child is something of a sacrifice, long months of pain and bodily change for someone you don't even know. It takes a considerable amount of strength and love to carry a life inside of you, something we thought they didn't have."

"The Villains didn't need 'love' to bring us into the world. They had a hell of a lot of free time on the Isle, and plotting was the one thing they enjoyed. I'm sure us VK's were just a long-term goal of revenge, just in case they died on the Isle. That way there would always be someone there to carry their plans on for them." Queenie assumed. Her thoughts on why the villainous parents had even had children never a big thing in her mind.

"We never thought of you as children." The old King admitted with a small grimace.

"Oh no, I don't think you did." Queenie muttered. "You probably thought of us as demon-spawn. The offspring of evil. But we were just like the children in Auradon. Tiny, screaming babies."

"Then I apologise." He said with a strain. "I'm sorry that you and your friends were raised that way because of our fear."

"Thank you." The princess accepted. Her upbringing hadn't been the reason she'd asked for the meeting, but the former King somehow swallowing his pride and apologising for leaving them all on the Isle to suffer was something she'd never take lightly. She just wished the rest of the Isle-Born had been present to hear it as well.

"But that's not why I came here." Queenie announced to them all, keeping her gaze away from her aunt in an effort to stay composed during this meeting.

"Then why are you here?" Pan asked with an eye roll, obviously uninterested in whatever she had to say to them.

"I came here to prove you all wrong." She told the red-haired boy. "You all thought I was a danger to this Kingdom with my memories intact, but here I am. I haven't burnt down any buildings or busted all the villains off the Isle, and trust me when I say if I wanted to, I could. I'm not my mother. I'm not gonna start going crazy and kill a lot of people for no reason."

Pan chuckled. "That's hard to believe, especially when you show off that mark so proudly." He spat with utter disgust.

Queenie gave a small sigh and shook her head. She knew she should have covered it up before coming in, but how was she to know her boyfriend's dad's enemy would be joining? No one had thought to give her a heads-up, and Ben hadn't even known who'd been on the council. And while a part of her knew that covering up her mark would have gotten her a better reaction with the council, she couldn't quite find the will to care.

The 'mark' the boy spoke of was Queenie's scar. Something she'd loathed and dreaded to show anyone once, now a proud reminder of everything she'd gone through on the Isle and more. It had taken a lot of courage and reassurance from Ava for her to wear comfortable clothes that didn't completely cover it up, and she was finally beginning to come to terms with it. And it was a little hard to be hateful of something that reminded her so much of the one person who'd never let her down.

"Oh, this?" Queenie asked with feigned innocence, her finger ghosting over the visible scar peaking out from the cloth of her dress. She quickly flicked her eyes around the table at all but her aunt, taking note of their averted eyes and disapproving grimaces. "You can ask about it, you know." She added afterwards.

"How can you do it? How can you walk around with that symbol carved into your skin and not feel absolutely disgusted with yourself?" Pan inquired, his brows furrowed with either confusion or disbelief.

"We have this thing on the Isle; Claiming. If you're like I was and you want to stay safe, you ask a higher villain to claim you for their own. They'll keep you safe and fed, no one touches you. But you have to wear their mark so people know who you belong to. It's a way of survival for the weaker VK's. You've never been to the Isle, never seen what goes on there or dealt with its worst so don't you dare sit there and judge me for what I did to stay alive." Queenie's tone darkened as she ended her explanation, her voice letting them all know that she wasn't about to sit and let their comments fly.

The red-head pursed his lips, shaking his head with dismay. "Do you have any idea what that man did?" He asked.

"No." Queenie said curtly. "But I know what his son's going to do when he finds out _you_ played a part in my memory-wipe." She couldn't withhold the small and excited smirk that tugged at her lips then, the urge to fuck around with Peter Pan himself much too tempting.

"Are you threatening me?" He said with a glare.

"I don't make threats, I make promises. And I'm being kind'a nice by giving you a heads-up here. Harry's pretty much the cliché of the Isle. He wants revenge for his dad and who can blame him?

"Here's the bitch about it, though. Harry only came to Auradon for me. If you hadn't agreed to wipe me I would have gone back to the Isle, and we'd have probably stayed there. You thought you were doing the right thing by wiping my mind, but all you did was give him even more reason to come after you." She told him.

"Queenie," Ben whispered with a plead.

"Look," the princess decided to change her tune, Ben's voice a small reminder of the very reason she'd even come to the meeting. "I didn't come here to make threats or offend anyone. I came here to tell you that you were wrong for what you did to me. Whatever you have in mind about me is wrong. I'm still caring and I'm still kind, and I won't hurt anyone unless they try to hurt me first. I'm a good person, and I would be grateful if I could have an apology."

The room became quiet and Queenie leaned back in her chair. She'd said what she had to say to them, and now all she could do was wait.

"I'm sorry." Fairy Godmother was, surprisingly, the first to do so. "You were right, Queenie. We didn't take your memories to help you, we did it to help ourselves. I swore to you that I'd help you if I could but I didn't do enough, and for that I'm very, very sorry. And I hope you'll accept my apology."

"O-of course." Queenie stuttered with a reassuring nod, slightly taken aback at the woman's overwhelmingly sincere words.

"We apologise as well." Queen Belle said quickly. "We should have met you before we made our decision and decided for ourselves whether you were a threat, or just a young woman who'd been through a lot of trouble. We were wrong, and we're very sorry."

After that there was only one person left, and though they all waited for him to speak the Princess of Hearts had a small inkling that he was too proud for something like that.

"Why should we apologise?" Pan huffed stubbornly, glancing at the other members. "It won't undo what we've already done."

"No, it won't." Queenie agreed. "But I'm a bit of a sucker for grudges, and apologising to me would erase any ideas my _friend_ has for you." She said pointedly and with a raised brow.

"If I apologise, can you swear to me that you'll keep Hook's offspring away from Neverland?" The boy inquired with slight hopefulness.

"Hook has three children including Harry, and I'm sure they want your head just as much as their daddy. And I can't control Harry, he does what he wants, when he wants, no matter what. But I can slow him down, if that helps?" Queenie offered.

Pan sighed with frustration. "I guess that'll do. I'm sorry for my vote against you. And," he grimaced as he paused, looking as though he'd eaten some kind of sour fruit. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet. He's coming after you, I'm just stretching it out." Queenie reminded him. "But thank you for your apology."

"Can I leave now?" The red-haired boy asked, though it seemed to be more of a demand.

"Of course, thank you for coming." Fairy Godmother said kindly. She raised her wand and aimed it in his direction, sending him back to Neverland in a cloud of smoke.

"I suppose we should also leave?" The old King assumed, rising to his feet before he'd even had an answer.

"Yup." Queenie muttered, slowly beginning to feel the exhaustion at finally facing the meeting she'd been both dreading and anticipating all week.

"We'll see you at home, sweetheart." Queen Belle said to Ben, and he nodded in return.

"See you later."

The former King and Queen practically fled from the room, leaving only the four of them.

"Queenie, you never asked for my apology." The White Queen pointed out, finally speaking when she'd been completely silent during the majority of the meeting.

Queenie sucked in a harsh breath and looked up at her aunt. She struggled to even look the woman in the eye when she held such a striking resemblance to her mother, but she fought her way through the fear of it all. She'd only regret it afterwards if she didn't at least try to speak to her.

"I didn't think you'd voted against me." She shrugged.

"You're right. I didn't. I told them to leave you alone, but these Auradonian's never listen." The White Queen said with a roll of her eyes.

"You have no idea how hard it is to look at you right now." Queenie admitted with an anxious giggle.

"I know exactly how you feel, little one." The White Queen corrected her gently. "I see your mother every time I look in the mirror, and I see her in you as well."

Queenie nodded, a small fear welling up inside of her. She knew she'd gotten a lot of her personality from her mom, as she was sure she didn't get her temper from her father, whoever he was. But to hear it from someone else was a bit of a shock.

"Don't worry too much." The White Queen said firmly, as if reading Queenie's thoughts. "Your mother didn't have many friends when we were growing up, she only had me. You have good people around you, Queenie, people to keep you grounded. You won't turn into her as long as you have them."

Queenie almost scoffed at the notion. Her friends were wonderful but they were far from good. The only one well-behaved enough to fit Auradon's expectations was Ava. Uma was busy playing pretend until she figure out her next move, the pirate's were waiting for their Captain to give them orders, and Harry was a ruthless and vicious person hiding behind a layer of charm and feigned obliviousness. They weren't perfect, but they were hers, and that alone meant more to her than anything else.

"You should start using." The White Queen suggested, her eyes lowering to Queenie's pendant. "Magic is a very useful thing, and can come in handy for dangerous situations."

The princess looked down, twisting the gem between her fingers. She knew she had magic here in Auradon, she could feel it sometimes, vibrating through her chest and into the tips of her fingers just begging to be used. But she wasn't ready for that just yet.

"One day." Queenie replied to her Aunt, looking away from her necklace.

"I hope to see you again, Queenie. On your own terms, of course."

"Absolutely." Queenie said with a smile.

The White Queen disappeared in a small 'poof' of glittering dust, and Queenie instantly assumed the woman had travelled back to Wonderland with her own magic, and not F.G.'s.

"So," Ben dragged with a long and exhausted sigh, "I guess you're done now, huh?"

"Not exactly." Queenie told him with a small grimace.

Ben frowned. "What do you mean?" He inquired with confusion.

"It's alright." She reassured him with a small smile, pushing back the chair with a loud 'screech'. "I don't need your help with this one."

"A-are you sure?" He pressed, his brows furrowed with concern.

"I'm positive." Queenie laughed, rising to her feet. She found his worry for her endearing, but it wasn't needed. She had one last person to talk to before she could move on with her life, and he'd been the one she'd dreaded speaking to the most.

Jay.

~...~...~

Half an hour after her meeting with the 'elder' council, the Princess of Hearts found herself perched on the edge of a bed she was entirely too familiar with, eagerly awaiting the moment her former best-friend came through the door whilst also agonizing over how it would all go.

Queenie hadn't seen Jay since the night she'd run off with Harry to the Enchanted Lake. He hadn't come to her room after she'd woken up and she was somewhat grateful for it. After all, they hadn't parted on the best terms and he'd have been the very last person she'd have wanted to see that day, but now she was ready for him. And though her fears had been lessened by how easy the council meeting had gone, she knew this talk with Jay would be the worst. He'd been her closest friend and, in some ways, mentor once. They'd drifted far from each other but since she'd calmed down from her temper-tantrum she realised he was her last loose-end that needed tying. The last petal to pluck before she could move on with her life and start fresh.

The door to the boys' room clicked open and Queenie sat straight, her trail of thought completely halted by the sight of her old friend.

Jay strolled into the room and closed the door behind him, dropping his gym bag to the floor with a small groan. He moved his shoulder muscles and winced, attempting to soothe out any knots he could find with the least amount of damage to his arms.

The princess almost laughed at the sight of him. Once upon a time he'd have seen her as soon as he came into the bedroom, but his time in Auradon had somehow tainted his old, thieving ways and constant pressure of having to look over his shoulder. She could even see the frown of disappointment on his father's face at seeing his son let his guard down.

"Tourney's getting rough, huh?" She finally decided to speak, knowing that her small moment of courage wouldn't have lasted long if she'd dragged it out any longer.

"Holy-" the former VK gasped and threw himself back against the door with a loud 'thud', his minor moment of utter shock and alarm fading into one of slight surprise and small irritation.

"Hi Jay." Queenie greeted, trying hard to sound indifferent when her memories and voice betrayed her, her tone somewhat fond when she spoke to him.

"Queenie." He noted, shuffling awkwardly against the door as he warily scanned his dorm room.

"Harry's not here." She assured, and his shoulders sagged in relief. "Just me." She added with a small shrug.

Jay nodded and, with minimal caution, came further towards her. "How did you get in?" He asked curiously.

"Chad owed Uma a favour."

"Damn it." Jay cursed loudly, and Queenie smiled.

"Not so loud, they have rules here y'know." She teased.

He rolled his eyes and huffed a breath, though he was unable to hide the small grin of mirth that tugged at his lips.

"I spoke to the council today." Queenie admitted. She knew that she was partly attempting to push back the inevitable, but she couldn't quite help herself. And despite knowing well enough that she should have just jumped into the hard topic as soon as she could, there was a very tiny fraction of her mind that couldn't bring itself to let him go just yet.

"Really?!" Jay exclaimed, and she nodded. "How did it go?" He wondered with intrigue.

"Uh, it went as well as it could." She told him, twirling a lone strand of hair around her finger. "I did what I had to do."

"T-that's good, I guess." He muttered half-heartedly, pulling his hair-tie out and ruffling the long locks.

The princess did nothing but nod in agreement, her hand toying absentmindedly with her pendant. She loathed the high and awkward tension that filled the silent room, her mind drifting back to the days where they'd been so comfortable around each other. So much had happened since he'd taken her away from her mother and she found the unpleasant memories greatly outweighed the good. And she had a small feeling that he knew just as well as she did that their awkwardness was because of his mistakes; Not hers.

"We have to talk, Jay." Queenie whispered with small reluctance, averting her eyes to the carpeted floor.

"Yeah, I know." He said back, his unenthusiastic reply a clear indication that he was dreading this just as much as she was, if not more.

The old thief pulled a chair away from a nearby work-desk, setting it down a few spaces in front of Queenie before straddling the seat. And Queenie took this moment to criss-cross her legs on top of the bed, leaning back on her hands in an effort to get more comfortable. After all, neither knew how this would all go, and thus had absolutely no idea how long it would also take.

"Where do we start?" Jay sighed, lightly scratching at his hairline.

"I don't think there's an exact moment." Queenie muttered, mentally yelling at herself to just pull herself together and talk to him. She hadn't found the council meeting as hard as this, but she had to remind herself that she and Jay had a history of some sort, and it was because of that that she found this entire thing so difficult to accomplish.

"I'll start." He offered, and she nodded. "I've been wondering what I'd say to you if you ever decided to talk to me again. I came up with so much but it all went to shit, every time I tried to think of a way to apologise to you I never found the best way to do it. I mean, how do you apologise to your friend for taking their memories away? There's no way.

"First of all, I'm sorry for leaving you on the Isle the way I did. We all promised we'd come back for you and we didn't, and I can't even think of a way to describe how sorry I am. If I hadn't left you then you wouldn't have ended up finding Harry, and you wouldn't have gone through half of what you did." Jay clenched his eyes shut, lightly shaking his head.

"We've talked about that part before, remember?" Queenie re-capped, thinking back on the moment he'd asked her to come back to Auradon with him, and she'd refused. "If I came with you I wouldn't have gotten stronger. I would've been the same ol' Queenie, following you around like a lost little kitty.

"And as for Harry...well, I'm glad I found him. He's an asshole but he's not so bad. He taught me a lot about the Isle."

Jay scoffed and opened his eyes. "He hurt you, Q'." He pointed out with a frown.

"I know he did." She said. "But he still saved my life. And despite everything he was the one constant after you guys left. He took care of me and kept me safe, and you need to remember the Isle instead of trying to forget it. Everyone was terrible there, even you. He did what he was raised to do and I haven't forgotten anything he did to me, but he's making up for it now and that's what matters."

"So he's changed?" Jay asked nosily, and with much disbelief.

"I didn't come here to talk about Harry, Jay." Queenie said, cutting off his inquiries before they even began. She enjoyed his company, but he had to know that she didn't have to report back to him every time something happened with Harry. Her relationship with the first-mate was exactly that; Hers. And it was hers alone. No one else needed to know the ins-and-outs of what went on and she wasn't about to jump ship, not even for Jay.

"Sorry," the boy muttered in reply, though he seemed far from apologetic.

"I just want to know why you kept up the game so long. Why you let me run around and act like someone else." She explained.

Jay released a breath of hesitation, his gaze wandering to the far corner of the room as he thought. "I guess I felt guilty." He said finally. "I felt so terrible about leaving you and I thought that taking Harry away was the best option. I wanted you to see how amazing it was here, how easy things would have been if you'd come with me. And I could sit here and tell you that F.G. convinced me it was for the greater good, which she did, but I have to be honest here, Q'.

"Seeing you here in Auradon made me feel better about what I did to you. Every time you sat with me at lunch and we had talks in the dorm rooms, it was like being on the Isle...but it wasn't, if that makes sense? I felt so terrible about what happened, and every single time you had something to tell me, no matter how silly it was, it convinced me that I'd finally done right by you. It made me think I'd somehow redeemed myself.

"Uma tried to make me change my mind, you know. She told me that what I did wasn't good, that it was selfish and cruel. And I guess she was right. I just didn't see it, not until Harry came to Auradon anyway." He took a deep breath once he finished, and Queenie had to wonder if this was as relieving for him as it was for her. She just wanted answers from Jay, but maybe he had to let this all out for the same reason she did.

They had to let each other go.

"I forgave you for leaving me on the Isle." Queenie spoke gently. "And I'm glad you told me the truth, about why you did what you did. But I can't let this go, Jay. Some part of you knew how important Harry was to me and you still let me forget him." She paused for a second, a sudden and sorrowful wave collapsing in on her lungs. "And I'm so grateful you took me from my mom," her voice pitched as she withheld the sob threatening to sneak its way out.

"This is it, isn't it?" Jay asked, though they both knew he wasn't asking.

"Yes. You left me on the Isle, and then the moment I give you just a little bit of trust you fuck it up again. I'm sure you had good intentions, Jay, but I can't keep acting like nothing's happened. Not anymore. I can't keep making the same mistakes." She said quietly, a small tear trailing down her cheek.

The former VK swallowed, his hands clenching and unclenching as he fought to keep his eyes on Queenie. "I understand." Was all he muttered.

"I hope you don't let this swallow you, Jay. You can't keep worrying about me or what I'm doing. I survived six months on the Isle without you, and I'll be just fine from now on. You have your own shit to deal with, so think about all of that." She begged, hoping he wouldn't make their 'talk' any harder than it was already.

"Just tell me one thing, Q'." He said quickly, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees, his eyes looking directly back at her own. "One thing and I'll back off."

Queenie pursed her lips and wiped away the remnants of her tears. "Okay," she agreed.

"A-are you happy with them?" He implored. "The pirates, I mean." He added.

"They're like family, Jay. They were raised on the Isle, like we were, so they're so fucked up in some ways but they're loyal. I feel more at home with them than I ever did with you guys. And I'm not saying this to be mean, I'm saying it so that you understand. I'm happier now than I ever have been, and I promise you that I am." Queenie told him with as much sincerity as she could muster.

"That's all I want for you, Q'. For you to be happy." He swore, and she fully believed him this time.

"I know, Jay." She muttered with a small and wistful smile.

They fell into silence once again, and Queenie counted down the seconds until she felt it was good enough for her to leave. She hated that they'd come to this kind of ending, and the fact that she had to go through the rest of her days without him in it stung in a way she wasn't used to. But it was for the best. And as hard as she knew it would be to see him around and not speak to him, she was now comforted with the knowledge that her friends would be there for her if it got too overwhelming.

"I-I have to go." She informed him, slowly raising to her full height.

"I know." He sighed.

The princess wrapped her arms around her middle, giving a small nod to herself as she realised he wasn't going to look in her direction. Whether it was from sadness of their ending friendship, or some kind of lingering guilt over everything he'd done, she wasn't sure. But he had his own gang to help him with this, and despite the nagging in the back of her mind that she should stay and make sure he was really okay, she had to leave him alone. If she stayed it would go against everything they'd talked about and she couldn't risk it. She _wouldn't_ risk it.

Queenie opened the bedroom door, looking back over her shoulder at Jay in a last-minute attempt to suss out if he was going to be alright. But he was good at hiding, and she wasn't a fortune teller. She had her own life to live now, one he couldn't be a part of, and she had to move on with it.

"Goodbye, Jay." And with those last words to him, she left the dorm room, carefully closing the door behind her as she went.

~...~...~

The young princess gave a small and disheartened sigh, closing her eyes once more as she attempted to clear her mind of the negative thoughts that usually plagued her. She leaned back until she felt the cool hardness of the floor, deciding to let the surrounding sounds and sensations cloud her body until it was all over.

Queenie wasn't completely sure how long she'd been hiding out at the Enchanted Lake. She knew it had been a little while, since she'd gone straight there after her gruelling discussion with both Jay and the Elder Council. And while realistically she should have gone straight back to her dorm room where one of her friends could find her, a small fraction of her mind yearned for some peace and quiet. Ava would only ask questions, and despite the little mermaid's selflessness and good-intentions, Queenie didn't quite have the desire for a 'chat' in that moment. Gil, like Ava, would ask even more questions, due to his child-like mind and utterly unobservant nature. The other pirate's weren't a big worry for her, since Uma and Harry knew her better than anyone and knew that she enjoyed her own space sometimes.

So here she was. Laying down on the stone floor of the Lake and basking in the sunlight, only the sounds of beautiful chirping, rushing water and the occasional ruffling of the trees to calm her.

The Princess of Hearts hadn't known fully what would happen when she ended her friendship with Jay. She'd expected some lingering, albeit justifiable, anger to have made itself known. Even some sadness on both their parts. But what she hadn't counted on was the aftermath of such an ordeal. The sorrow she experienced at having to end things with someone she'd once cared about so much was still there, and it still pained her in a way she'd experienced one-too-many times on the Isle. But what had her entirely bewildered was the relief.

After the meeting with the Elder Council, Queenie had felt some kind of strange sensation. Like a little bit of weight had been slowly, but surely, retracted from her chest. But after her talk with Jay...well, that feeling had all but doubled. She'd walked away from his dorm-room experiencing nothing less than an overwhelming wave of contentment. Her mind was, for the most part, at peace with itself. She no longer had to worry about distressing Jay in some way by talking to, and hanging around with, the pirate's. She no longer had to fear for her mind when she saw F.G., although she knew that gnawing anxiety would take some time to fade away. Everything was just right, and it was something she wasn't used to.

"I thought I'd find ye here."

Queenie flinched at the sudden and unexpected voice, but she didn't move. She didn't speak, either. She just wanted this moment to last as long as it could, since she knew full well it wouldn't last forever.

"I'd 'ave left ye alone longer, lass, but ye've been out here for a few hours now." Harry continued.

The princess opened her eyes slowly and with some reluctance. She hated that her moment had been disturbed, but she was glad that it'd been Harry to do so.

"Were you worried about me, Hook?" She joked, gently moving herself up and onto her feet. She turned herself to face him, her breath momentarily caught in her throat.

Queenie had always struggled with looking at people directly. It'd been a sign of submission on the Isle, something ingrained into her mind as to not start a fight she knew she wouldn't win, and she partly wondered if it would always be with her. But Harry was a completely different story. His voice, always tinged with some kind of darkness, would always make her shiver. His eyes would always lock her in and draw her to him. And the sight of him as a whole was something no one would understand when it came to her.

Even now, after all this time, he still held that stupidly insane amount of power over her. And she knew with certainty that that would never change.

"I always worry about ye, love." He tutted.

"So you should, I attract trouble wherever I go." Queenie giggled, and he gave a small smile of amusement in return.

"Ye're a bloody beacon for it, darlin'."

Their playfulness wouldn't last long, and she knew that. He was joking with her now but she could see the way his grin twitched down into a frown, how his brows furrowed every now and again when he averted his eyes to the sights around them. He'd gotten a little better but he'd always be impatient, and she carefully waited for the question she knew was on the tip of his tongue.

"How are ye, lass?" He finally asked.

Queenie sniffled and looked away, deciding that, for a small second at least, the Lake was the easiest thing to look at. She wasn't sure why she was trying to find a credible white-lie to give him, since he knew her so well and would be able to see right through it if she wasn't careful. But she couldn't help it. Her Isle-warped mind was still coming to terms with its Auradon counterpart, and lying about her internal struggle with her emotions was part of that.

"I'm fine." She said with a small shrug. "I mean, it was a little rough at first but I'm okay now." She hoped that, by turning to face him, he'd accept what she was saying and move on.

But this was Harry. If anyone could see straight through her and keep pushing, it was him.

The first-mate nodded slowly. "Really?" He inquired.

"Yup." Queenie muttered.

Lying to Harry wasn't her smartest move, but she'd known that before the words even flew from her lips. Because as soon as he moved away from the tree he'd been leaning against and came towards her, Queenie was unable to hold his gaze any longer. The closer he came the harder it got to keep everything to herself. And even when she saw his boots in her line of vision, she refused to look up without his say-so.

A smooth metal pressed against the underside of her chin, and Queenie felt her face softly being tilted upwards. She knew what was coming as soon as she felt his hook against her skin, and even though he now used the soft body instead of the pointed tip to get her to look at him, it still sent a jolt of fear through her small form.

When her hazel orbs met with his oceanic-blue, she knew she was done for. He knew how hard it was for her to look him in the eye when she was hiding something, and whenever he was feeling particularly curious he'd always make sure their eyes were in lock-down and she had no option but to stare back. If she was being rather secretive, she'd eventually remove herself from the situation. But even when she was telling the truth she couldn't do it with him for long. In the end, he always won.

"Hello princess." Harry greeted with a whisper.

"Hi Captain." She said back, the title slipping from her lips before she could even think twice about it.

He chuckled at that. "Ye better not say that aroun' Uma." He lightly admonished, though the slight glint in his eyes told her he was more than pleased with her words.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Queenie muttered, fighting to keep her eyes on him while, at the same time, keeping her body in check.

"Now tell me, my little princess." He said quietly, his un-hooked hand toying with her hair. "Are ye really alright?"

"I-I don't know." She whispered in reply, her small fingers grasping at his waist. "I mean, I'm sad, but I'm not. It doesn't really make sense."

Harry gave a small nod. "It makes more sense than ye'd think, love." He told her.

"How so?" She wondered, her head tilting to the side as she looked up at him.

"I'm not defendin' the bastard in any way, but I know ye had fun with 'im sometimes an' he was good enough to ye on the Isle. Only thing is, lass, when a better thing came along he left ye for it, quicker than anythin'. Ye're allowed to grieve over the good things ye remember, love, an' ye're allowed to be happy that ye spared yerself any more pain. D'ye understand?"

Queenie only partly understood. She could be sad about the wonderful memories she and Jay had together, while still being able to feel joy at not having to rely on him anymore. She knew she'd get it better in time, but for now all she could do was feel.

"Anythin' else ye wanna tell me? Before we head back?" He asked.

The princess shook her head automatically, before she re-called her meeting and a small incident that Harry may want to know about. "One thing." She said, the fingers of her left hand stroking the hook at her side.

Harry raised his brows as a motion for her to continue, raising his weapon between them for her to toy with while she spoke.

"I met Peter Pan." Queenie admitted, only briefly glancing upwards to see his reaction.

The first-mate narrowed his eyes. "How?" He asked, both trying and failing to hide his surprise and curiosity.

Queenie hesitated. She knew telling Harry his father's enemy was on the council that decided to remove her memories would only solidify the first mate's decision to head to Neverland at some point in the future, and a selfish part of her wanted him with her always. But just as she'd said to Pan at the meeting; Harry did whatever he wanted. If he ever decided to up and leave Auradon, which was rather high in probability, there was no way she'd be able to stop him.

Besides, how could she not tell him that she'd fucked with Peter Pan's head?

"He was one of the people to vote against me." Queenie said finally.

"Really now?" Harry muttered with a sing-song voice, grinding his teeth together as his eyes flickered about her face.

"Yep."

"Jus' one more reason for me to fin' the asshole, eh?"

Queenie nodded. "That's what I told him." She shrugged. And she would have left it at that, but Harry's expression told her that he needed a few extra details, so she continued.

"I kind of threatened him...with you. Told him that you were coming for him at some point. W-was that okay?" Her voice stuttered towards the end, the sudden thought that she shouldn't have done such a thing flying into her mind. She hadn't thought of her actions or words then, but she was second-guessing herself now.

"How did he take that?" Harry asked instead of answering her question.

"He wasn't too happy, I guess." She answered warily, still unsure as to how Harry was taking her revelation. "He asked me to keep you away from Neverland."

"An' what did ye say then?"

The princess held her breath as Harry leaned down, his nose nuzzling against the side of her head. "I-I, um," she never could find a single, coherent sentence when he got too close. And what was worse was that he knew that too.

"Queenie." He drawled, low and into her ear.

"I told him that you, uh, do what you want. And that if you really wanna go to Neverland I can't stop you." She left out the part of her promising the Neverland leader that she'd slow Harry down. After all, she still had no idea how Harry felt and she wasn't about to push her luck.

Queenie gasped loudly as she felt her feet leave the floor, her legs dangling down as two strong arms locked around her thighs.

"Ye always surprise me, princess." Harry told her, an amused smirk tugging at the corners of his lips as he looked up at her.

"Y-you're not mad?" She squeaked, resting her palms on his shoulders.

He laughed then. "O' course I'm not mad at ye. Ye sent him 'ome scared, love. He'll be worryin' about me for a very long time. I'm proud of ye." He assured.

The princess smiled widely, warmth spreading to each corner of her body as her stomach erupted into tingles.

Harry released his hold on her just a fraction, dropping his hook to the floor as he gripped at her thighs. Her legs wound around his waist on instinct alone, this specific way of being held one of her favourites.

"Harry?" She muttered, raking her fingers through his short locks.

"Hmm?" He sighed, his eyes drooping with relaxation at her actions.

"Are you going to go? To Neverland, I mean?"

Her inability to keep her mouth shut in wonderful moments would be the end of her. She couldn't just relax and let go like he did, she had to know what the future held for them even though there was no sure way for either of them to find out. But Harry's promises could keep her sane, if only for a little while, and after the day she'd had that was what she needed.

Harry gave a small sigh, his face buried into the place where her neck met her shoulder. "I don' wanna talk about that now, love. Jus' let me stay like this for a little bit, can ye do that?" He asked.

"For you? I can do anything."

Queenie decided that, for now, she'd leave her worries and fears for another day. She had her pirate with her now, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

 **AN**

 **OH MY GOD! I don't know if I'm happy or sad that this story has finally come to an end. Probably both.**

 **Anyway, first things first...Reviews!**

 **PinkTribeChick;** **I'm so happy you enjoyed the last chapter, especially the part with Ben and F.G.. I just thought that, with him running Auradon, he should take a bit of control back from the people that used to run it. Having Queenie tell F.G. off would have been too easy and I honestly doubt the woman would have listened. Queenie and Harry are together and they are happy, but they still have a long way to go.**

 **nanirios10;** **Yes, this chapter is the last.**

 **ChordOverstreetFan; I'm glad you enjoyed that bit. I feel like Ben is the only one who can reason with the higher-powers of Auradon, and him telling F.G. to back off was the best way to go with this story.**

 **BoleynQueen; I'm happy you enjoyed Queenie in the previous chapter. I wanted to keep her just as she was before her memories came back, but with a bit more of an edge. She knows what's right and what's wrong, and how Harry was treating her on the Isle was wrong. So her laying down the law, I guess, was bound to come sooner or later.**

 **Guest;** **I'm sorry! I've debated a kissing scene in this story but I'm so terrible at writing them. Whenever I decide to bring out a third fic, I'll make sure I've perfected the 'kiss-scene' writing.**

 **Guest;** **I'm glad you enjoyed their reunion. I wasn't quite sure how it would go and I spent a good while re-writing it, trying my best to get it as good as possible. And Queenie's views on hers and Harry's relationship did have to change. On the Isle she didn't know any better, but now she does and she's not willing to keep up the owner/pet relationship she had with Harry on the Isle.**

 **Nerwen Nenharma;** **Thank you!**

 **mollichine;** **Thank you :)**

 **Guest;** **Yeah, it was a strange reunion for those two. They haven't had their happy ending just yet, but I hope you'll decide to read whenever I come out with the third part.**

 **Jon Snow Warrior Queen;** **Thank you! I hope you like this chapter. Harry wasn't involved in the meeting, but I still hope you're happy with how Queenie handled things on her own.**

 **Okie dokie. Big, big thank you to everyone who've reviewed, followed and favourited this fic. I honestly wouldn't have been able to complete it without you guys so much love to all of you! And big thank you for sticking around for this story.**

 **Please leave a review or PM to let me know what you thought of this chapter. And I am interested to know if there are any specific things you'd like to see more of in the third instalment. More Queenie/Harry moments? Or more Ava/Uma? Let me know. Every little helps. :)**

 **Any typos will be removed once I've had a proper read through.**


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